Everything's Changed
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Jack returns after his adventures with the Doctor to find that while he's been away, things have changed. He battles with his feelings for Gwen as she faces some of the toughest decisions of her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** No matter how much I'd love it to, Torchwood does not belong to me.

******A/N:**Just a quick background brief. Jack's come back after his disappearance at the end of series one and it pretty much follows the first episode of series two with one or two details changed. I won't write the whole of the episode out so it's just brief moments of it. Also includes an episode from later on in the series. ;) So, I hope you enjoy. :)

Jack was standing so close to her, his eyes gazing into hers.

"What kept me fighting was the thought of coming home to you." He whispered. He ran his hand down Gwen's left arm to her hand. His fingers started to thread through hers when he found the ring on her finger. Jack frowned and lifted her hand up between them. "What's this?"

"That's an engagement ring, that is." Gwen answered, looking at it in fake surprise.

"You're getting married?" He asked. She nodded silently and he raised his eyebrows in shock. "To Rhys?" Gwen snatched her hand out of his and looked away. "Not to Rhys?"

"We should be getting back to work." Gwen said as she walked away.

Jack ran to catch up with her.

"Wait. What happened between you and Rhys? And if it's not him, who is it?" He frowned.

"Not the time Jack." Gwen told him. "We've got to get rid of this John character."

"Oh come on. Tell me. Do I know him?" He asked.

"Jack, can we please just concentrate on getting John the hell off this planet?" Gwen snapped.

The two walked out into the main area of the Hub and as they walked past the entrance to the autopsy bay, Owen walked out of it. Gwen paused to look at him and their eyes met for a brief moment before she walked up to the board room where Ianto and Toshiko were keeping John under guard. Jack stepped up to Owen and watched Gwen leave.

"Owen...do you know anything about what's going on with Gwen?" Jack asked.

Owen just looked at him then followed Gwen up to the board room. The Captain sighed as he was once again denied the answers to his questions. The team were still acting cold towards him and had made it clear that the only reason they were acknowledging him was because they had to in this instance. He couldn't blame them, after all, he did run out on them without so much as a goodbye but he hadn't expected such a cold reception when he returned.

He entered the board room where the team and John were waiting to start the briefing. Gwen refused to look at him as he sat beside her. When he looked around at the team, he noticed Owen watching Gwen intently and she looked up to meet his gaze. They both glanced quickly at Jack and realised he was watching causing them to look away. Gwen cleared her throat before she started the briefing.

By the end, it was agreed that they'd split off in pairs to search for the canisters John was looking for. Jack was not happy that Gwen would be going alone with John but he didn't have much choice in the matter. Just as everyone started to leave, Jack called Gwen back.

"Gwen, I need a word." He said.

Owen hovered in the doorway and his and Gwen's eyes met before he turned and walked out of the room. John, who was oblivious to all this, leant forward in excitement.

"Oh, can I watch this bit? He's going to give you all the dos and don'ts. I love it." John grinned.

"She'll be with you in a second." Jack said firmly as he pointed towards the door. John rolled his eyes and left the room as Jack turned back to Gwen. "What the hell are you doing?"

"If I can get him talking, flirt a bit, he may drop his guard. I can find out what he's really up to." Gwen explained.

"Ok, clever." Jack nodded.

"Thank you." She replied.

"But dangerous, leave it to me." He said.

"I led the team while you were away, Jack. I can handle this. He knows you too well. He'll never tell you the truth." She pointed out.

Jack saw he wasn't going to win and sighed.

"Three rules. One, don't believe anything he says. Two, always keep him in front of you. And three, under no circumstances let him kiss you." Jack warned.

"As if I would." She replied in disgust.

"Has he gone into the no kissing rule yet?" John called from the corridor. "He only invented that because he wants me all to himself."

Jack looked into Gwen's eyes and she saw a hint of sadness there. She looked away quickly and swiftly exited the room. As she neared John, she gestured in front of her.

"Keep in front." She ordered.

Jack watched them leave then hung his head as they disappeared around the corner.

As Gwen and John reached the main area of the Hub, Owen held onto her arm and pulled her to the side.

"Gwen, just...be careful ok. I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth." He told her.

"I can look after myself." She said.

"I know you can. Anyone would have to be stupid to try and attack you. You're like a ninja with a gun." He joked. Gwen smiled and there were a few seconds of silence between them. Owen's smile faded as his expression turned serious. "Don't let your guard down, ok."

"Why is it so important to you?" She laughed.

"You know why." He answered seriously.

Gwen's smile vanished as she looked at the floor and nodded.

"Yeah, I do." She said. "I promise I'll be careful."

"Good." Owen replied.

When she looked back up at him, she found him staring at her with tenderness in his eyes. Her mouth turned dry and she ran her tongue across her lips. Just as she started to lean in towards him, John appeared between them and she jumped away quickly.

"Are we going to find these canisters or not?" John demanded.

"Yes." Gwen snapped. "Alright, I'm coming." John rolled his eyes and walked away as Gwen turned back to Owen. They both smiled nervously at each other as silence fell between them. "I'll...see you later."

"Yeah." Owen nodded. After a few more moments of silence, Owen hit her arm playfully. "See you."

Gwen raised an eyebrow before she joined John and pushed him in front of her. John and Gwen went to investigate the shipyard which was one of the locations the rift monitor had detected a minor surge.

"Nothing." John muttered impatiently as he closed one container and opened another one. "Are you sure this is the right spot?"

Gwen was a few containers down from him, shining her torch into each one she passed.

"Yeah but containers get shifted all the time." She told him.

"This could take days." He complained.

She had to bite her tongue and she ignored his impatient tone as she continued to search the shipyard. The silence was starting to make her feel nervous. Though she kept John in front of her and in her sight, she thought the silence would give him chance to plot an attack or something. John had mentioned a beautiful woman and the way he'd spoken about her gave Gwen the impression John had had feelings for her. It was this woman's dying wish for him to find these canisters – or so he said. Maybe if she got him talking about that, although it would probably be painful, it might take his mind off any plans to attack her.

"So that woman, the one with the canister, how did you get to know her again?" She asked.

"We were in love." John answered.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Did they catch the person who shot her?" She enquired.

"Do we have to talk about this?" John asked.

Gwen wanted to keep him talking. His quietness made her jumpy and nervous. But then she realised, she was out here on her own with a potentially dangerous man. If she said anything to upset him or pushed the wrong buttons, there was nothing to stop him from hurting her.

"No, of course not." Gwen answered.

The two carried on searching in silence until John stopped suddenly in front of her and spun around.

"I know what's going, you know." He smirked.

"What's going on where?" She frowned.

"Between you and the doctor." John answered.

"Owen? Don't know what you mean. There's nothing going on." She shrugged.

"Oh come on, I had it all worked out in seconds." He told her.

"Really?" Gwen laughed. "Oh I'd love to hear your insane ideas but we have a job to do."

She pushed past him to look in another container.

"So you're not screwing him then?" John asked with an amused smile on his face.

Gwen whipped around to glare at him and pointed her finger in his face.

"You don't understand half of what's going on." She spat.

"Oh don't I?" He replied as he glanced down and back up at her face. Gwen's eyes widened and she quickly turned away as if to get on with the job they'd originally come to do. "You haven't told Jack have you?"

"It's not of his business and it's none of yours." She answered.

"I'm not surprised, I wouldn't tell him anything either. Not exactly trustworthy as you found out." He said.

"I trust him just fine, thank you." Gwen replied.

"Once a con man, always a con man." He told her.

"What do you mean by that?" She frowned.

"Look, just don't rely on him, Gwen. There's a lot about him you don't know." John said. Before she could question him about it, he stepped over to one of the containers and pointed to the door. "Fancy a peek?" When he opened the door, Gwen shone her torch inside and stepped in. The light fell on a small metal cylinder right at the back. "Aha!"

"Is that it?" Gwen asked as she walked over to it. John followed swiftly behind her and as she picked up the canister, he slammed her against the wall of the container. "What are you doing?" He crushed his lips onto hers and she struggled to push him away. "Get off me."

"Celebrating, that's all." John laughed. Gwen was finding it hard to breath. Her legs started to feel weak and she fell to the floor. "God, the twenty-first century is so frigid."

She knew there was something wrong. She was losing feeling in her feet and it was slowly spreading up her legs. Her whole body started to feel heavy as she looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright.

"What have you done?" She gasped as she tried to stand up.

"Don't get up. I mean, you can't anyway. Paralysing lip gloss. I think it might have even been Jack taught me that trick. Just one problem, if you're not found in two hours, your major organs will go into shut down." He told her. He reached into her jacket pocket, took her phone out of it and dangled it in front of her face. "Thanks." He shoved her to the floor and left the container. "You going to be ok in here without me?" John stopped in the doorway and called back to her. "He won't stay with you. He and I shared something."

The door to the container closed and Gwen's eyes were wide as they stared into the darkness. Her body was almost completely paralysed. The biggest movement she could make was a twitch of her fingers. Her heart was pounding against her chest as she prayed that someone would find her before she stopped feeling it altogether. She could still breath but with every passing minute, she felt her lungs start to slow down. If she could cry, tears would be streaming down her face. Not now. Why did it have to happen now?

After being shot in the leg by John, Owen couldn't imagine the night getting any worse until Ianto ran into the warehouse and told them Gwen was missing. His head spun as he knew John had done something to her. He clutched at his chest as he staggered forward to get to the car and find Gwen.

When Tosh, Ianto and Owen reached the shipyard, Owen's heart sank as he realised just how hard it was going to be to find her, especially if she was injured and couldn't shout out to them. No matter how long it took, he was going to scour every inch of the shipyard until he found her.

Ignoring the pain in his leg, Owen walked from container to container and yanked open the doors to search inside. Tosh and Ianto went ahead to search a different section and it was Ianto who found Gwen's mobile phone smashed to pieces on the floor. The discovery of the mobile phone made the three of them snap into action and they began to search the area quicker than before.

Gwen's vision was almost gone, not that she could tell being stuck in the dark but she was sure if it was light, everything would just be blurred shapes fading into darkness. Every sound she heard sounded so far away and as if she were under water. She felt groggy and it was getting harder to remember what was going on and even who she was.

Light suddenly streamed in from behind her and she wondered if she was finally heading to the golden gates in the sky. The next thing she knew, she was being moved and dark figures with strange voices loomed over her.

"Gwen, it's alright. We're here with you." Tosh told her as Tosh, Ianto and Owen knelt beside her. "What happened? What's he done to her?"

Owen quickly checked her breathing and pressed his fingers to her pulse point.

"She's still breathing. No discernible injuries. Tosh, let's get this thing started. Ianto, take a swab." Owen ordered, Tosh fired up her laptop as Ianto did as Owen asked. "Right, pupils dilating, she's still conscious. Stay with us, darling."

Tosh ran the swab Ianto took through her laptop and turned it towards Owen.

"He's poisoned her." She told him.

"Anti-toxin kit. Now." Owen shouted to Ianto. The Welsh man got up and ran back out of the container to the car to fetch the kit. Owen leant over Gwen and tried to remain calm. "Gwen, hold on." As soon as Ianto returned with the kit, Owen set about administering an antidote. Vital minutes ticked by and he just prayed they'd got to her in time. Once he was finished, he held Gwen's face in his hand and waited. "Come on, work."

Everything was coming back to her, her vision, her hearing and the need to draw more air into her lungs. She suddenly lurched up, gasping for air. Strong arms held her as she tried to get her bearings and she gripped tightly onto whoever it was.

Once her breathing had calmed down, she looked up to see the arms belonged to Owen.

"Owen." She whispered. "He poisoned me. Is everything ok? What about -"

"I don't know." He answered. "I'll have to do a proper examination when this is all over. We were lucky enough to find you on time, let's just hope that luck lasts."

She nodded and glanced at his leg.

"Oh my God. What happened?" She gasped.

"John Hart's what happened." He muttered. "Bastard shot me in the leg."

"Are you alright?" She demanded.

"I'm fine." He told her. "Especially now I know you are."

"Well...we don't know that yet." She mumbled. Their eyes met for a few moments before she looked away and around at the others. "Are you both ok? Did he hurt any of you?"

"He hit me but other than that, I'm fine." Tosh told her.

"Me too." Ianto nodded. "But we need to find Jack."

"Jack will be fine, nothing can stop Jack. It's John we have to find." Owen told them. "Let's get back to the Hub and we can try tracking him down from there."

It turned out they didn't have to track him down as he was already at the Hub. He was lurking around the autopsy bay with his back to the entrance. The team slowly and silently spread out along the balcony with their guns trained on him.

Jack returned minutes later and John's real intentions were soon revealed. It was then revealed that the woman John had murdered had played a trick on him. An explosive device attached itself to John and he handcuffed himself to Gwen, giving them no choice but to try and stop the device. When Gwen told the team she was going to throw herself and John into the rift to save the city, Owen shook his head and pleaded with his eyes. She refused to look at him and before he could stop her, she'd dragged John out of the Hub, Tosh and Ianto following hastily behind her. Jack went to follow but Owen caught his arm and pulled him down to the autopsy bay.

The SUV screeched to a halt in the location John had first appeared and Gwen leapt out, dragging John behind her. He was babbling about last minute rescues but she kept walking determinedly. She stopped suddenly and turned to Tosh and Ianto.

"Tell Owen I'm sorry." She said. "And tell Jack...tell Jack I -"

She was cut off by the squeal of tires as Owen's car sped over to them. Jack jumped out of the car and ran towards them.

"What's he doing?" John asked as Jack showed no signs of stopping. The Captain tackled John to the floor which sent Gwen flying too. Jack stabbed a needle into John and injected him with a thick, red liquid. "Get off me."

John struggled to get Jack off him but the Captain didn't let go until the syringe was empty. He stood back and waited for something to happen.

"Owen, it's not working." Jack shouted.

"Fifteen seconds." Ianto announced as he consulted his stopwatch.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.

"Trying to confuse the disk." Owen answered.

"Why hasn't it worked?" The Captain demanded.

"I don't know." He shouted back.

"Twelve seconds." Ianto told them.

"Jack, do something." Tosh cried.

Gwen grabbed John by his shirt and yanked him up. She looked back at Jack, her face set in a resolute expression.

"I've got to go, Jack." She told him.

Jack reluctantly reached down to grab John and help her with him. When they pulled John to his feet, the disk clattered to the floor.

"Five...four..." Ianto counted down. Jack grabbed the disk and ran towards the rift opening. "Three..." Owen grabbed Tosh and pushed her back toward the cars. "Two..." Jack hurled the disk towards the opening and it slipped through. "One. Go."

The disk exploded, throwing Jack, Gwen and John to the floor. They pulled themselves up to discover that the day had turned into night. Jack explained what had happened and Owen went on to explain how they'd managed to confuse the disk. When John removed the handcuffs and disappeared back through the rift, the team headed back to the cars. Jack went to climb into Owen's car but the younger man stopped him.

"Jack, why don't you go back in the SUV with Tosh and Ianto. I'll go with Gwen." Owen suggested.

"You can't drive with that leg." Jack argued.

"I'll drive." Gwen reassured him.

Jack looked between them before he turned to get into the SUV with the others.

"Seriously, what's going on around here?" Jack asked Tosh and Ianto.

The two just looked at each other and got into the car silently.

Gwen and Owen watched them drive away before they got into Owen's car and followed.

"What were you thinking of, sacrificing yourself like that?" Owen demanded.

"I had no choice." Gwen argued. "It was die and take the whole city with me, or die and save everyone. We do this job to save lives and protect people, Owen, and that's what I was doing. You're not telling me you wouldn't have done the same."

"Yeah, well...that's different." He mumbled. "I'm not -"

"Yes, thank you, Owen." She interrupted. "You don't have to remind me. Anyway, we don't even know for sure if..."

Her voice trailed off and he saw her gazing out of the window sadly.

"Like I said, I'll take a proper look when we get back to the Hub. I'm sure everything will be fine." He told her.

"But you don't know for certain." Gwen replied as she turned to look at him. He shook his head and turned to look out of the window. "Maybe we'd be better off if it wasn't -"

"Don't you dare say that." Owen interrupted. He looked back at her with anger in his eyes. "Don't you dare. You know you don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Gwen laughed bitterly. "It's what got us into this mess in the first place. I wish it never happened."

"You're only saying that because you're scared of what we might find." Owen told her. "You know what you're saying isn't true."

She stared out of the windscreen, tears building up in the corners of her eyes.

When they got back to the Hub, Jack frowned as they ignored everyone and disappeared down into the autopsy bay. Minutes later, they came back out and they both seemed to have relieved smiles on their faces. Gwen wiped away a few stray tears before heading over to her work station.

"So what was all that about?" Jack asked as he walked over to her.

Gwen looked up at him and she tried to figure out what she was going to tell him.

"It's..." She said. "Jack, I -"

"Gwen." Owen interrupted. "I'm going to go home, Ianto's driving. Do you want a lift?"

"No. Thanks." Gwen smiled. "I'm just going to finish off here then I'll be on my way."

"Ok." He nodded. Owen stood awkwardly in front of her and she smiled nervously. "I'll...see you in a bit...then."

"Yeah." She replied.

He waited for a few moments before quickly leaning in to peck her on the lips.

"Owen!" Jack burst out. "You're engaged to Owen?"


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen's eyes widened as the Captain looked between the two of them.

"You didn't tell him." Owen said.

"You didn't either." Gwen shot back. Owen looked between the Captain and Gwen before limping as fast as he could out of the Hub. Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "Coward."

She turned back to Jack who was staring at her in shock.

"How...when...what?" He frowned.

"It's complicated." She answered. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." He challenged. Gwen looked away from him. "Start by telling me what happened with you and Rhys. I thought I told you not to let it drift. I thought you were making it work. After what happened with Bilis, I thought it made you stronger. You sacrificed everything to get him back, why would you -"

"I'm pregnant Jack." Gwen shouted.

"And how does Owen come – oh my God, he's the father." Jack realised.

Gwen closed her eyes and nodded. Tears slipped from underneath her eyelids.

"I tried so hard Jack." She whispered. "I tried so hard to make things work with Rhys. I tried to stop...after you left I...I found out I was pregnant. I knew...I just knew it wasn't Rhys'."

"How?" Jack asked.

"Well...despite everything that happened between us, somehow...me and Owen started our affair again." She answered. "It was before you left and before everything with Bilis...and ever since, I wasn't able to...I couldn't be with Owen then go home to Rhys and...be with him. I just felt...dirty and disgusting but I couldn't stop. When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't lie to him any more. I had to let him go. I told him the truth and he left. After that, I refused to tell Owen. I was so scared of him wanting nothing to do with us and being alone with a baby. I thought if Owen knew I was pregnant but I didn't tell him the baby was his, he'd be there for me as a friend. He'd help me out and he'd see his child but just...not know. Tosh found out, then Ianto and they both said that I had to tell him. I had to tell him the truth so I did. He didn't take it well at first. No one saw him for a week. I thought my fears had come true. But he came back and he said he'd thought about it and he wasn't going to run out on his responsibilities. He promised to look after us both and he asked me to marry him."

"And you said yes?" Jack frowned.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Why? Do you love him?" He asked.

"Well...he makes me laugh, he does things for me, I know he'll look after us." Gwen shrugged.

"But do you love him?" He insisted.

Gwen looked away and a few minutes of silence passed between them before she looked back at him.

"I don't know." Gwen admitted.

"And does he love you?" Jack enquired. Gwen didn't answer. "Then why are you marrying him?"

"Because I want my baby to grow up with both their parents who love them very much." Gwen answered.

"But do you want your baby to grow up in a loveless marriage? Kids aren't stupid Gwen. They pick up on these things. Do you want your child to be unhappy, because their parents certainly aren't." Jack argued.

"I need stability Jack. I need something normal in my life and so does my baby. With Torchwood already hanging over our heads, this child's not going to live a normal life like everyone else. I want my child to have a family so they can have that one shred of normality." Gwen argued back.

"You're making a big mistake." Jack told her. "Your baby can still have a normal life without you and Owen getting married. You can still bring this baby up together but you don't have to be married or living together. Lots of parents are doing it these days. Don't you think that'd be better for your child?"

"Me and Owen get to decide what's best for our child." She replied.

"Sorry." Jack replied. "But what if you find someone that makes you happy? What if you fall in love? What if Owen does? And do you really think Owen's going to stay tied down to one woman?"

"He promised he wouldn't...be unfaithful." Gwen mumbled. "And I believe him."

"Come on, this is Owen we're talking about. How long before he gets bored? Or strays?" Jack argued.

"Do you think this isn't running through my head all the time?" She shouted. "Every time I look at him or every time I see him look at another woman, I wonder if he'll turn his back on us and it scares me. But he promised me he wouldn't...and I have to believe him. I _have_ to...otherwise I can't do this."

Jack saw the deep sadness in her eyes and he had to look away.

"What about Rhys? Don't you love him?" He asked quietly.

"I'll always love Rhys." Gwen answered sadly.

"Well, I know he loves you. I'm sure he'd forgive you and he could help you raise this baby." Jack said.

"It wouldn't be right." She said, shaking her head. "I'd be forever looking at my child and at Rhys and knowing I'd betrayed him. Then there's Owen. I couldn't stop him from seeing his child but I know Rhys would refuse."

"And...what about me?" Jack asked.

Gwen's breath shook as she stared into his eyes which were gazing sadly back.

"Do you think I haven't thought about you?" She asked. "Do you honestly think I haven't once wished things were a little different or what it might have been like if..."

"Seeing you and Owen...throwing..." Jack couldn't bring himself to say 'together'. "Your lives away and being unhappy...it'll kill me."

"I'm sorry Jack." She whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leant her head on his shoulder as he hugged her tight. "There will always be a piece of my heart that belongs to you but we're just...not meant to be." She pulled back and held his hands as she looked into his eyes. "I have to do this Jack. I want the best possible life for my baby."

Jack nodded and gave her a sad smile.

"How far gone are you?" He asked.

"Just under three months." She told him.

Jack looked at her and noticed for the first time, the smallest of bumps. He saw the sparkle in her eyes and her skin was glowing. She'd never looked so beautiful.

"Well...I should probably say...congratulations." He said.

"Thank -" She was cut off as Jack pressed his lips to her cheek. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord and she breathed in his unique scent. When he pulled away, her heart was hammering against her chest. "I...I should go."

"Just think about it. Don't rush into this." He said.

She grabbed her jacket and bag and quickly ran out of the Hub. Jack watched her go sadly before his shoulders drooped and he hung his head.

When Gwen arrived at Owen's flat, which she still couldn't get used to calling home, Owen was in the kitchen.

"Hey, want a coffee? Decaf obviously." He called.

"Bloody decaf." Gwen mumbled and walked into the kitchen. "Yes please."

"Are you ok?" Owen asked as he turned and saw the tear stains on her cheeks.

"Yeah, I just...on the way back...tears of relief, I guess." She lied.

"Are you sure?" He frowned.

"Yeah. Positive." She nodded. "Anyway, Jack...Jack knows everything. I told him, with no help from you, bloody coward."

"Yeah...sorry about that." He mumbled. "How did he take it?"

"You can probably imagine." She sighed. "He wasn't happy but...he said congratulations. On what, I don't know. Having a baby or...getting...getting married." She wondered if it was just her or if they both wanted to shudder. "Both, I suppose."

"Right." Owen nodded. "So...are we in for a lecture tomorrow do you think?"

"I've had my lecture and I refuse to go through another one. It's your turn." She answered.

"Oh cheers. Thanks for your support." He said sarcastically.

"Aaw, don't mention it." She smiled.

They both laughed and smiled at each other. When their laughter died, silence fell between them and tension filled the room. They both turned away from each other quickly. Gwen left the kitchen and went to sit on the sofa while Owen made the drinks. He followed her in a few minutes later and handed her her drink.

"One decaf coffee." He said.

"Cheers." She replied unenthusiastically. "I blame you, you know. For this decaf torture. You knocked me up."

"Oh I did didn't I." He smirked as he sat beside her. "Good and proper. That's what happens when you do all your best work in one night."

"Look who's full of themselves." Gwen laughed.

"Oh come on, you can't say it wasn't one of the best nights." He said. Gwen smiled and looked away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction...again. Owen grinned and she couldn't help but giggle. "Knew it."

"Yeah, alright, whatever." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Come on, put the telly on. Let's find a programme about other people getting covered in alien shit for a change."

Owen leant forward and grabbed the remote off the table to switch the TV on. As he sat back, Gwen watched him and began to think about what was happening between them. Ever since Gwen had moved in, everything seemed to become awkward between them. They never knew how to act around one another or know what to say when they were alone. They couldn't be how they used to be. It was as if the baby and the engagement and her moving in changed everything. The only ice breaker was when Owen cracked a joked about sex or when they actually did have sex. Even that was starting to get weird.

Gwen started to wonder if Jack was right. Were they making a big mistake getting married? Was it necessary just because they were having a baby? She knew what her mum would say. Yes it was.

"Owen...what are we doing?" She asked.

"We're...watching television. Aren't we?" Owen frowned as he looked around.

"No, I mean what are we doing...with us? Is getting married a mistake?" She asked.

"Well..." He shrugged.

"Why are we even doing this? I mean, is it just because we're having a baby together and it seems like the right thing to do?" She asked.

"That's what we initially agreed on." He nodded.

"I know but...I don't think getting married just because there's a child involved is the right thing to do." She told him.

"You sound like you've been thinking about this." He replied.

"Well it's a big decision we're making here." She replied. "I don't want to make the wrong one. We have to think about what's best for our baby. Is it fair for them to be growing up in a marriage where their parents don't...love each other? How is that going to affect them with relationships in the future? We're not exactly setting a good example. Unless...there's another reason behind why we're doing this."

"Like what?" He laughed.

"I don't know." She lied. "Anything...you can think of?"

"No." He answered. "Gwen, I get what you're saying and maybe it's not a good idea when you look at it like that. But I know what it's like to not have a dad around – and sometimes a mum – and I don't want that for our baby."

"Me neither. I want us both in our baby's life but...do we have to get married to do that?" She asked.

"Seriously, what's brought all this on?" He laughed. "What's Jack been saying to you?"

"It doesn't matter. I just..." She sighed. "Forget it. We'll just...keep doing what we're doing."

"Right." He nodded.

He looked away to watch the television again but Gwen kept her eyes on him. A few moments of silence passed before she broke it.

"Seriously, you can't think of any other reason at all why we're getting married?" She asked.

Owen thought about it then shook his head.

"No." He replied.

"Oh." She said quietly. "I'm going to...go for a bath."

She tried her hardest to hide the disappointment in her voice and facial expression as she got up and left. She didn't even know why she was so disappointed just that the sinking feeling in her heart and the pit of her stomach were not good.

That night, Gwen and Owen climbed into bed and as always, there was a huge gap between them. They were facing each other, almost teetering over the edges of the bed as they smiled awkwardly at one other.

"Well...goodnight." Owen said.

"Yeah, night." She replied.

They were quiet for a couple of moments before Owen quickly leant across the void between them and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. He withdrew just as fast and rolled over so he was facing away. Gwen was shocked. Twice in one day he'd spontaneously kissed her without an ulterior motive. That had never happened once before, never mind twice.

It was a few minutes before Gwen could get over the shock and lie down properly. She lay facing him and stared at the back of his head thoughtfully as she drifted off.

The next morning, she felt herself slowly waking up. Something soft and warm was wrapped around her and she couldn't help but snuggle into it. She was pressed against a warm, solid body and she could feel skin brushing her own. Her lips pressed a kiss to a chest. Suddenly, she remembered where she was and the only person that chest could belong to. She opened one eye a touch, then the other and came face to chest with him. Her eyes travelled slowly up until green eyes met brown and they were looking back at her with just as much surprise and confusion as hers. After a few moments, they slowly pulled away and Gwen saw that they'd rolled and met each other in the middle during the night.

"Sorry, I didn't..." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to – I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologise." Owen told her. "You didn't do anything wrong, it was just a...cuddle. It was just...unexpected that's all. But it was nice, don't get me wrong."

"It was nice? Do you really think so?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it was." He nodded. "Did you not think so?"

"Oh, yeah I did. It was...nice." She agreed.

They both looked away and around the room as they tried to think of something to say to each other. It was another one of those awkward moments she hated so much. Why couldn't everything just be normal and easy between them? It always had to get complicated.

"We should...probably get to work." Owen said quickly.

He jumped out of bed and started to get ready while Gwen stayed, facing the spot he'd just left and slowly reached her hand out to touch it. She looked over to watch Owen as he pulled on a pair of jeans and began once again, to think about the things that were changing and the things she was starting to realise.

Owen turned to grab a t-shirt and smiled as he noticed her watching. She smiled back and started to climb out of bed.

"How's your leg?" She asked.

"Not too bad. The pain's died down a bit, it's just like toothache now. Annoying and always there but...not so bad." He answered. "It's a lot better than yesterday."

"Good." She smiled.

"What about you? You feeling alright? No side affects from that paralysing stuff?" Owen asked.

He walked over to check her eyes and he cast a critical eye over her. She suddenly felt self-conscious and folded her arms.

"I feel fine, honestly. Nothing more than the usual woozy, morning sickness feeling." She told him.

"You sure? You're not just saying that just to stop me worrying are you? Because you do realise, even if you're not lying, I'll still be worrying about you." He admitted.

She couldn't fight the smallest of smiles from forming on her lips as she thought of Owen getting concerned over her.

"I'm fine, I swear." She replied.

He watched her suspiciously for a few seconds before nodding and walking away.

They were sat beside each other in the meeting room as Jack gave a team briefing. The Captain could tell they were still reluctant to accept orders from him. They were sat in silence, waiting with expectant and slightly cold stares for him to start. Jack glanced at Gwen but she refused to look at him even though she could feel his stare burning the side of her face.

"Alright." Jack said after a tense few minutes. "So, after last nights events, I've been on the look out for any serious consequences but so far, we've been lucky. I'd also like to say...good work team. You all did extremely well under all that pressure. I know at times it got a bit hairy..." He glanced at Gwen and she looked up at him for the first time. She gave him a small smile which he returned before focusing back on the briefing. "But you all got through it and you made me proud. This team has got so much stronger."

"Yeah, well, we had to." Owen said coldly. "When our Captain abandoned us, we realised how important it was to stick together."

Jack hung his head guiltily and sighed.

"I am so sorry." He whispered. "I can't say it enough. I shouldn't have left without telling you but I couldn't miss the opportunity. After so many years of searching, he came back – my Doctor...and I had to see him. I had to know if he could -"

"Fix you." Owen interrupted. "Yeah well he couldn't, could he? You ran out on us for nothing. Well, I hope it was worth it. After you ran out on us, there were so many times it's been close to you not having a Torchwood to come back to."

Owen's voice was starting to rise and Gwen reached out to grab his arm.

"Owen, calm down." She said quietly. He glared at Jack and took a few deep breaths. "Calm down, it's alright."

He closed his eyes and turned to her. When he opened them again, he nodded and gave her a grateful smile.

"Anything else Jack?" Tosh asked.

"Yeah." Jack nodded, forcing himself to look away from Gwen and Owen. "The company I was observing before I left, Techneworld. Have there been any updates while I've been away?"

Tosh, Owen and Gwen looked at each other then shrugged as they looked back at Jack.

"Since you've been gone, three shipments of new technological devices have been imported from abroad." Ianto announced as he walked in with a tray of coffee. Everyone looked up at him in surprise. "I...thought I'd carry on the research for you. In case...you ever came back or...didn't."

"Thank you, Ianto." Jack said with a small smile. "Do you know what was in those shipments?"

"Not exactly but I took a rift energy monitor with me when they were delivering the crates. They were surrounded in rift energy." He answered.

"So my suspicions were true." Jack grinned. "They've got their hands on alien technology and they're selling it on as their own inventions. What's the betting they don't even know what half of it does? So, I need someone to go in there and find out just how much technology they have and exactly what we're dealing with. They could have anything in there and if they've figured out which ones are weapons, we could be in trouble. After that, we'll retcon the workers and shut the business down."

"Me and Owen will go." Gwen said quickly.

"You sure? Could be dangerous. Don't know if you should go...in your condition." Jack replied.

"I'll be fine. Come on, Owen." Gwen said.

She patted him on the arm and stood up. Owen glared at Jack then followed Gwen out of the room.

"I know what you're doing." Owen said as they climbed into the SUV.

"What's that then?" Gwen asked innocently.

"You're getting me away from Jack. Giving us a breather." He answered.

"And? Are you complaining?" She asked.

"No." He smiled. "Thank you."

He reached for her hand causing her cheeks to flush a light shade of pink. She hid her face in her hair and smiled shyly.

They pulled up a little down the street from the Techneworld building and peered out of the window at it. It used to be an abandoned office building but overnight the Techneworld company moved in and the building was suddenly alive again. Just by looking at it, you knew something dodgy was going on behind those doors.

"Here we go." Gwen sighed as she opened the car door. As she grabbed her PDA from her bag, Owen walked around to stand close beside her so he could see the screen. She felt his body heat radiating from him and it was hard to concentrate. Gwen cleared her throat and focused on her PDA. "Right, well, according to these building plans Tosh sent through, all the technology they're bringing in is being stored in the basement. We've got to find a way in without being seen."

"What about down there?" Owen asked. He pointed down an alleyway beside the building. "There's bound to be a fire escape round back."

"Alright." Gwen nodded.

The two hurried down the alleyway and, as Owen had predicted, there was a fire escape leading up to the top floor of the building. On the ground floor, there was a fire door and Owen walked over to it. Gwen pulled her gun from her belt and gripped it with both hands as Owen slowly got the door open. They crept inside and closed the door behind them.

They were in a long corridor with other corridors and doors leading off it. It seemed empty so Gwen put her gun away but kept it within reach.

"Where now?" Owen whispered.

"We've got to get to the basement." Gwen whispered back.

Someone walked past a door ahead and they pressed themselves against the wall. More people were walking around past the other doors and Owen looked at Gwen.

"Easier said than done." Owen muttered.

Gwen looked around and spotted a smoke detector on the wall. She smiled and walked over to it. She pulled a couple of pieces of scrap paper and a lighter from her bag.

"Always come prepared." She grinned at Owen as he looked in confusion at the lighter.

"What are you doing?" He frowned.

"Evacuating the building." She answered.

She lit the end of the paper and let it burn for a couple of seconds before she blew it out. As she held it under the smoke detector, Owen spotted something else.

"No, Gwen." He whispered loudly. "You'll set off the -" The fire alarm went off but it also turned on the sprinklers. They were soaked within seconds and they just stared at each other. All of a sudden they burst out laughing. Owen's laughter was cut short when he saw people running towards them. Then he remembered they were standing next to the fire exit. After hearing the alarm, they were obviously going to head this way. "Look out."

Owen grabbed Gwen by the arms and shoved her against the wall down another corridor. He pressed himself against her as he waited for everyone to run past. Gwen was staring at him with wide eyes as she gripped his arms. He looked back at her and into her eyes causing her heart to begin to pound against her chest. His hands had moved from her arms to her hips and she could feel them burning through her jeans. His breath was mixing with hers and she suddenly wanted him to kiss her.

"Oh." She whispered.

It was then that she knew her answer to Jack's question. Yes, she did love Owen Harper. She couldn't help but stare at his lips and her own parted of their own accord. She was about to lean in and kiss him but his body was suddenly gone. He'd stepped back and was peering down the corridors.

"That was lucky." He breathed in relief. "Ok, that sign says the lift's that way. Let's go."

Gwen nodded slowly before running after him. They found the lift and took it down to the basement. The doors opened with a ping and they stepped out cautiously, guns gripped in their hands.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow." Gwen breathed as she took in the scale of the room.

They could only just see the far wall and it was the same if they looked to the sides. The room was poorly lit but they could see that shelves and shelves of boxes filled the space and they were stacked high.

"Ianto would have a fit if he saw this disorganised mess. Still, when we get it all back to the Hub he'll have a field day sorting it all out." Owen commented.

Gwen giggled and Owen turned to grin at her. He heard footsteps coming towards them and he shushed her quickly. They darted down one of the aisles and peered out to see a tall, well built man patrolling the shelves. He grabbed a walkie-talkie from his belt and spoke into it.

"No boss, there's no one down here." He said.

"There has to be, we've got them on camera sneaking in through the fire escape." A man's voice shouted from the other end. Gwen and Owen looked at each other in shock. How could they have been so stupid to not look for security cameras? "Look harder. It's a man and a woman. They're hiding somewhere, they're after our gear, I know it. When you find them, take him out and leave her to me."

"Yes boss." The man replied.

"And where's Paul got to?" He demanded.

"He's at the other end." The man answered. "Don't worry, we'll find them boss."

"You'd better." The boss warned. "Because if you don't -"

The boss cut off the walkie-talkie from his end and the man looked down at it, slightly panicked. He put his walkie-talkie back in his belt and Owen saw him take out a small hand gun.

"The goons are armed." He whispered to Gwen.

"What do we do?" She panicked.

"Fuck the alien stuff, we've got to get out." He told her. "The lift's too risky, they'll see us or hear us. There's got to be some stairs somewhere."

"Alright, split up. We'll find them quicker." Gwen said.

"No." Owen almost shouted. "You're not going out there on your own in your condition. I won't let you. We stick together."

He grabbed her hand and locked his fingers with hers. Gwen gasped as she looked down at their linked hands and she had to shake herself to focus.

"No, Gwen. Not the right time. Focus." She thought to herself. "But his hands are so warm and soft...focus Gwen!"

"The stairs can't be too far from the lift." Owen said, breaking her from her thoughts. "Come on. Keep to the walls and stay in the shadows."

"Yeah..." She nodded.

They hugged the wall and Owen led the way. Gwen's eyes darted around in the dark, searching for figures coming towards them but her eyes always ended up on her and Owen's linked hands. He stopped suddenly and she walked straight into him. She went to apologise but he pressed his finger against her lips. Her breath shook as she looked down at his finger then into his eyes. Little pools of light shone in his deep, chocolate eyes and she felt that urge once again, to pull his lips down to hers and kiss him with all the love she felt.

He moved his hand and pointed straight ahead. She saw that they were at the end of one of the aisles and she could see the start of the next one after about a two metre gap. At the end of the aisle, Gwen saw a lit up sign for the stairs. Owen pointed again, this time down the aisle, and Gwen heard footsteps getting closer.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." The man taunted. "We know you're here. You can't hide for long. Come out now and we promise not to hurt you...much."

He was nearing the end of their aisle and Owen gestured for Gwen to run back down the way they'd come. She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him with her as she sped down the aisle, hardly making a sound. She was very light on her feet and it always had it's advantages. Owen however, was rather clumsy on his. He brushed past a box that was sticking out from the bottom shelf and he tripped, sending the box and its contents clattering to the floor.

"Steve, what was that?" They heard a deeper voice shout.

"They're down here." Steve shouted. "Hurry up, cut them off."

Owen turned and grabbed Gwen's chin. He crushed his lips onto hers then pulled away and let go of her hand.

"Get out." He told her.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you." She argued.

"Gwen, please. For once, don't argue with me." He shouted. "Please..." His eyes softened and his hand brushed her stomach. "For our baby's sake, get out."

"What are you going to do?" She whispered, tears burning in her eyes.

"Buy you some more time." Owen answered. "Now go."

Gwen took one last look at him then turned and darted into the darkness. Owen grabbed boxes off the shelves and threw them to the floor, partly to create noise and cover any Gwen made and partly to create obstacles between him and the goons pursuing them to slow them down. He ran in what he hoped was the opposite direction to Gwen, throwing boxes behind him.

"Down here." Paul shouted. His voice didn't sound far off and when Owen rounded a corner, he came face to face with him. Owen noticed that he was a lot bigger than the first guy they'd seen and he knew he didn't stand a chance. He tugged the gun out of Owen's hand and looked down at it impressed. The thug pointed his gun at Owen's face and sneered. "Nowhere to hide now mate. Now, where's that pretty little bird of yours?"

"What bird?" Owen asked. "I came on my own, it's just me. I don't know what you're talking about."

He felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into his back and he knew that Steve had found them.

"Don't lie to us." He hissed. "We know about the girl. The boss saw her with his own two eyes. So...where is she?"

"Seriously I don't know who you mean." Owen lied. "There's no girl, he must have been seeing things."

"Alright then, don't tell us." Paul shrugged. "We will find her, she won't get away...and when we do...oh, she is going to have a cracking time with our boss."

"Leave her alone." Owen spat.

"Oh so there is a girl now." He laughed. He gestured with his gun to Steve behind Owen. "Go get her...I'll sort him out. Oh and...if you want a play before the boss gets his hands on her...I won't say anything."

"Don't touch her." Owen shouted. "Please, she's pregnant. Just let her go. She's not going to do anything."

Paul rolled his eyes and grabbed Owen by the throat with one hand, lifting him off the floor with ease.

"Go on." He shouted to Steve. "Find her." Steve ran off in search of Gwen as Paul slammed Owen up against the nearest wall. He couldn't breath and he could feel the blood pounding in his head. He scrabbled at the guy's hands but it was useless. "Best not to struggle...mate."

Owen could feel his life slipping away then suddenly one thought filled his mind. He couldn't give up now. He had to keep fighting and buy Gwen more time. He had to protect his unborn child.

A sudden burst of adrenaline shot through him and he looked at Paul determinedly. Owen used the guy's grip on his neck to an advantage as he pressed his back as hard as he could against the wall then swung his legs up and kicked out at him. Paul was taken by surprise and he stumbled back, dropping Owen to the floor. Owen quickly rubbed his neck then, while Paul was still off balance, he shoved him hard in the chest, sending him flying into a set of shelves behind him. The shelves tipped back and toppled to the floor, taking Paul with them. A box slid off the top shelf just before it hit the ground and it smacked Paul on the top of his head. He fell back in a heap and Owen ran off in search of Gwen, picking the gun up on the way.

Gwen had just managed to find a safe exit to the stairs when she heard the loud crash of the shelves. She turned and saw it lying on the floor. She gasped fearing Owen was crushed beneath it and she fought with herself to not run over. Whether she liked it or not, Owen was right, she had to get out of there for their baby's sake.

Just as Gwen turned back to run up the stairs, she was grabbed from behind and she screamed. She was spun around and pressed up against the wall just beside the entrance to the stairs.

"Hello my pretty." Steve whispered as he shoved his face in hers. He pressed his own gun to Gwen's stomach and her eyes widened. "Now...why don't you give me your gun and no one gets hurt."

"Please don't." Gwen sobbed as she handed her gun over.

"I'm not going to hurt you...well...maybe a little, but that's up to the boss." He told her.

"Just let me go, I won't say anything I swear. You'll never hear from me again." She begged.

"Doesn't work like that." He replied. "Now shut up and give us a kiss."

Gwen turned her face away and tried her hardest to squirm away but the thug grabbed her face. Before his lips touched hers, a shot rang out and he shouted out in pain. Gwen watched him fall to the floor clutching an injured shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Owen glaring down at him.

"I warned you to leave her alone." He shouted.

"Owen." Gwen whispered in relief. "You're alive."

"Come on." Owen said and grabbed her hand.

As he pulled her out, Gwen grabbed her gun, hooked it into her belt and snatched up the thug's gun. He tried to catch her leg but she was too fast for him. Adrenaline and fear pumped through her as they ran up the stairs and she heard him get to his feet and start up after them. At the top of the stairs, Gwen spun around, pulling her hand out of Owen's and both guns were in her hands in seconds. She fired shots down the stairs causing Steve to duck back out. She whipped back around and they sped down the corridors and out of the fire escape.

Gwen couldn't relax until they were in the safety of the SUV. Her heart was racing and she was trying to control her breathing. She was staring at Owen with wide eyes.

"What happened?" She asked. "That shelf fell, I thought you'd been crushed. How did you...what happened? Did they hurt you?"

"Well the bigger guy had me by the throat but I sorted him out. Don't worry, it was only those bastards that got hurt." He told her. "What about you? Did he hurt you? How's the baby?"

"He didn't hurt me, I'm fine. Baby's fine too." She reassured him.

"Good." Owen nodded then looked out of the window up at the Techneworld building. "Well, I don't know what Jack wants to do now after what just happened but one thing's for sure..." He turned back to look at Gwen. "You're not going back there."

As they pulled away, Gwen smiled as she thought of Owen getting protective over her. Her mind wandered back to that kiss and she started to think what Owen meant by it.

"Owen...why did you kiss me? Back there in the basement?" She asked.

"I don't know." Owen shrugged. "Guess it was...last kiss for the condemned...again."

"Really? You said that before and looked what happened after that." She replied. "Tell me the truth."

"It just...felt like the thing to do at the time." He shrugged.

"Are you sure? There's no other reason why you kissed me?" She asked.

"No." He laughed. "Why is it so important?"

"Doesn't matter." Gwen sighed.

She turned to look out of the window and she just knew today was not going to be a good day. Owen turned up the heaters as their damp clothes started to make them cold and the atmosphere in the car had also turned chilly for a reason he couldn't explain.

When they returned to the Hub, they reported what happened to Jack and he said he'd sort it. After what happened they'd tighten security even more and it would be almost impossible for them to get in. Almost, if your name wasn't Captain Jack Harkness.

After changing into dry clothes, Owen sat down at his workstation and as Gwen went to do the same, Jack caught her arm and pulled her into his office.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Jack asked.

Gwen looked at the floor and cleared her throat.

"I have." She nodded. "Haven't stopped thinking about it." She looked up at him and sighed. "I love him...I love Owen."

"I see." Jack replied. "And...does he..."

"I...I don't think so." She mumbled. "I need to talk to him. Thanks to you, I've been starting to wonder if I can go through with this if he doesn't feel the same. I don't want to be miserable for the rest of my life and I can't put my baby through that."

"Well, I'm glad you've given this some thought." Jack told her. "And you know I'm always here for you if you need anything."

"Thanks Jack." She smiled. "Look erm...if there's nothing else you need me to do, do you mind if I lock myself away in the board room and do some admin?"

"Sure, go ahead." He answered.

"Thanks." She nodded.

Gwen sat in the board room, papers spread out on the table around her, not a sound to disturb her but the quiet hum of the monitors in the room. For the first time in three months, she was just able to empty her mind of all thoughts and just forget about everything. She could be just Gwen Cooper doing admin at work, not three months pregnant, about to get married to a man who didn't love her back Gwen Cooper. She was relaxed and just lost in her work and she forgot the time.

"Gwen?" A voice asked, scaring her half to death. She cursed as her hand flew to her chest. Owen was stood in the doorway watching her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you I just wanted to tell you it's about that time again. You coming home or you staying a bit longer?"

"Erm...I'll come." She answered. "You know, it's a good job I'm not that far along with this baby."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because you'd be delivering it right now." She told him. They both laughed and she felt herself blush as he smiled at her. Hiding her face in her hair, she gathered up her things and followed him out to his car. As they were driving back to his flat, she couldn't help but watch him again as she built up the courage to tell him how she felt. In the end, it just came blurting out and she instantly wished she could take it back. "Owen, I love you."

"Alright, what do you want?" He laughed.

"Owen...I'm being serious. I think...no...there's no 'think' about it...I do. I love you." She told him.

"Right..." He replied. "Ok..."

Gwen waited for him to say something else – anything else – so she knew where she stood but he stayed silent. She let out a little sigh and turned to look out of her window.

Dinner was awful. Neither of them knew what to say to the other so they just sat in silence, staring down at their plates and moving their food around with their forks. Gwen had never wanted so badly to go back in time and just stop herself from saying something. She knew it would be a stupid idea but like she said to Jack, she had to find out if she could go through with this.

When Gwen had finally had enough of the silence between them, she sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to bed." She told him.

"Right..." He nodded. Was that all he could say? "I'll...be along later. There's this thing...on TV...I want to watch it."

"Ok, see you later then." She replied and went into the bedroom.

She knew Owen was lying, she'd learnt the tell-tale signs a long time ago, and she knew he was lying when she lay awake all night and he didn't come to bed. It wasn't until early hours in the morning that she managed to drop off.

When she woke up just a few hours later, she found Owen stood watching her from the doorway.

"Sorry." He said. "I just...erm...breakfast...what would you like for breakfast?"

Gwen sat up and rubbed her eyes then ran her hands through her hair, ruffling it even more. She noticed the corner of his mouth twitch as if to smile but he quickly stopped himself yet she could still see it in his eyes. It was warm and tender whether he liked to admit it or not.

"Just some tea and toast please." She answered.

"Ok." He nodded. "Gwen...about what you said...you know that you..."

"Love you?" She finished.

"Yeah, that one. Did you...did you really mean it?" He asked.

"Yes I did." She nodded. "Why?"

"Just curious, that's all." He lied. "Right, I'll get breakfast."

As he disappeared out of the room, Gwen sighed and hugged her legs as close as she could to her chest without squashing the baby. She rested her chin on her knees and stared in the direction Owen had left. If things didn't improve or it got even more awkward between them, she knew what she had to do. She would call off the engagement and she'd move out. It would be the best thing for them all, no one would get hurt. Owen could visit their child any time he liked and he could take the baby out when he wanted or have them stay over. She'd never deny him time with his child.

When he returned with her breakfast, she smiled and thanked him. He sat on the edge of the bed and he watched her thoughtfully. He was making her nervous and self-conscious as his eyes ran over her. She noticed the atmosphere around them change as they sat in silence. Owen looked away and stared around the room before he suddenly looked back at her, a smirk on his face. She put her cup down on the side and smiled nervously.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing...just...you look hot when you've just woken up." He answered. "Not that you don't normally."

"Typical Owen." Gwen thought. He climbed onto the bed properly and moved so that he was directly in front of her, his lips barely touching hers. As he started to pull the duvet away from her, she held it tight and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" He laughed and went to tug it away.

"This is how it's going to be is it?" She asked bitterly. "I tell you I love you and I understand if you don't feel the same even though it hurts, but instead of you saying, 'ok Gwen, let's discuss this and see if it's a good idea', you ignore it and still expect sex. Do you know how much it hurts to know that you just see me as a sex object? Well, I'm not standing for it any more."

She shoved him away and jumped out of bed. He watched in surprise as she grabbed a change of clothes and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

After getting over the shock of Gwen's outburst, he pulled himself up and went to stand outside the bathroom door.

"Gwen, I'm sorry." He called in. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I should have considered your feelings and not just my own. I never meant to take advantage of you or to make you feel like I was."

A few seconds later, the door opened and Gwen stepped out, eyes staring down at the floor.

"It's ok." She replied quietly. "I'm sorry I shouted at you. I've just been so stressed lately with Jack disappearing and coming back, the baby, Rhys and now this...it's all happening so fast and I haven't had time to adjust and I'm taking it out on you. I am sorry."

"It's alright." He smiled gently. "Are we cool now?"

"Yeah." She nodded with a smile.

"Hug?" He asked.

She nodded again and they hugged each other tight. Gwen's eyes slid shut and before she could stop it, a sigh escaped her lips. She felt Owen pull away quickly and she blushed as they both turned away from each other and hurried off to get ready.

When they got to the Hub, they found a note from Jack explaining that he, Tosh and Ianto had gone to Techneworld and that they'd found a way to shut the place down. It said that it may take a while meaning Gwen and Owen would be alone in the Hub. After another awkward morning, neither were looking forward to being alone with each other for the rest of the day. They looked at each other before both heading off to find something to do on separate sides of the Hub.

A week passed and they'd barely spoken to each other and one evening, Gwen had had enough. They were sat at far ends of the sofa watching TV and she kept glancing at him. She could tell he wasn't watching the television, just concentrating hard not to look at her. She sighed in frustration and stood up. Owen looked at her for the first time in days as she pulled her engagement ring off.

"Owen, this isn't going to work. We can barely even look at each other and we've hardly said a word to each other. Everything's just so...awkward now. I know you meant well by asking me to move in and to marry you and I really appreciate everything you've done but I don't think any of this is a good idea." She told him.

He sighed and nodded.

"Maybe you're right." He admitted. "So...what do we do?"

"I think we can safely say the wedding's off." She replied as she passed him the ring back.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"And...I think it's best I move out." She told him.

"But...where will you go?" He asked.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"Look, don't go. We can sort something out. You've got nowhere else to go and I'd feel bad if I let you just walk out of here with nowhere else to stay. Please, just stay." He said.

"Owen, I can't. It's too...complicated between us." She explained.

He stood up and grabbed her wrist.

"Gwen, please don't go. I...I don't want to miss my baby being born or growing up. I don't want to be a weekend dad." He told her.

"You won't be. Wherever I'm staying, you can come over and visit any time and I'll always bring the baby to see you. Owen, just because I'm moving out of here, doesn't mean I'm going to stop you from seeing your child as often as you want. I want you to be just as much involved in our baby's life as I am." She said. "And don't worry about missing the birth, you'll be the first one I ring when I go into labour. I'll probably be cursing and swearing at you."

She smiled and he chuckled as he moved his grip from her wrist to hold her hand. She fought hard not to blush as she quickly glanced at their joined hands.

"Alright." He replied. "But I still want to help you out with...anything. You name it, I'll be there to do it, any time, anywhere, any day, just call. Even if it's just because you want a cup of tea."

"Fine." She smiled. "I'll hold you to that now."

"Ok." He said. "And at least wait until the weekend or something before you go. It's late now and it'll give us plenty of time to find somewhere for you to go." She nodded and he pulled her into a hug. "You sure I can't persuade you to stay?"

"It's for the best." She answered.

"Wish you didn't have to go." He mumbled into her shoulder. Gwen's heart began to race and her ears pricked up. "It was nice to have someone to talk to and mess around with rather than being on my own."

Gwen pulled away and smiled though she was a little disappointed he hadn't said what she was longing for him to say.

"I'll still come over if you want me to and like I said, you can always come visit me wherever I am." She told him.

When their team mates heard the news, Gwen noticed Jack seemed to cheer up considerably. She shook her head at him and tried to avoid him as she was in no mood for his smug smiles or comments.

"Have you found somewhere to stay yet?" Owen asked as him and Gwen sat in the meeting room.

"No." Gwen sighed. "I'd go to my parents' but I'd just get another lecture off them. Nobody else has the room and I'd just feel guilty asking them."

"I have a room." A voice said. They both looked up to see Ianto stood in the doorway. "Sorry, I was about to make some coffee and I couldn't help but overhear. Sorry again. But I have a spare room you can stay with me."

"Oh, Ianto...I couldn't." Gwen replied. She didn't want to explain to Ianto that she couldn't stay because she knew Jack would be round all the time. "I don't want to intrude on your privacy."

"Gwen, it's fine." He reassured her.

"I...I don't know..." She said.

"It'll be alright. There's plenty of space, you'll have all the privacy you need because you'll have your own room, my sister's got two kids so I know all about these special diets and things and, the big one, I can make a decaf coffee taste amazing." He told her.

"You certainly can." She smiled.

"Plus Ianto's place is only five minutes away from mine so it's not like we'll have to travel far to see each other." Owen added.

"That would be a drawback." Gwen joked. He mocked an offended gasp and she giggled. "Kidding, kidding."

"Seriously though Gwen, I meant what I said. I don't want to miss any part of the pregnancy or the birth or the raising of the baby." He told her. "Think about it, Ianto's place would probably make sense."

Gwen thought about it then nodded and turned to Ianto.

"Alright – but only until I find my own place. I won't invade your space forever." She said. "And it'll definitely be before the baby's born, it's not fair on you to have to put up with a screaming baby all night and day. So I'll stay until I've found somewhere else."

"If that's what you want." Ianto shrugged.

"Yes." Gwen nodded and smiled. "Thanks Ianto. I really appreciate this."

"No problem." Ianto smiled and walked away.

Gwen and Owen looked at each other, a little sadness in their eyes.

"So...there we are then." Owen said. "You've got somewhere. You're really going to move out." Gwen nodded and she looked down at her hands in her lap. "It'll be quiet and...I will miss you."

"We'll still see each other everyday." She reminded him.

"I know but...it's not...the same." He sighed.

"You know I have to go. Things are just too awkward and it's only going to get worse. The only way we can stop that is if things change and things aren't going to change are they?" She asked. It was his turn to look away and Gwen smiled sadly. "Exactly."

Owen reached for her hand and he held it between both of his.

"I am sorry." He told her.

"I know." She nodded.

Later that day, Gwen was standing at her workstation organising her papers when Jack stepped beside her.

"Hear you're staying with Ianto." He said.

Gwen glanced at him over her shoulder and noticed the smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes and turned away. She really didn't want to know what kinds of things he was formulating in his head.

"I am. What of it?" She asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Just erm...if you ever want to join us...I'm sure Ianto would be ok if you wanted to..." He shrugged.

"Don't be disgusting, Jack." She sighed and walked away.

For the next couple of evenings, Gwen took a couple of things over to Ianto's each time so she didn't have to do it all in one go.

She stayed at Owen's until the weekend and on a few occasions, they woke up in each other's arms. Each time Owen would move away quickly and leave Gwen disappointed and slightly hurt. She couldn't believe how three words could change things so quickly.

On the Friday night, the last of Gwen's things were taken to Ianto's and it would be the first night in her new home. She looked around her new room and her eyes came to a stop on the bed. It was going to be so strange to sleep on her own. She'd miss the comfort of having another body beside her and to wake up to someone else's smile. Sometimes Gwen used to wake up before Owen and she'd just lay there and watch him sleeping then when he started to stir, she'd shut her eyes quickly so he didn't catch her.

Hands were placed on her hips and she closed her eyes at the contact, imaging it to have a different meaning than it did. She opened her eyes and turned to smile at Owen though she was heartbroken inside.

"Well that's everything." Owen told her.

"Yeah." She sighed. "Thanks for the help. Do you...want to stay for a coffee?"

"No I should probably go, let you get settled." He answered.

"You sure I can't persuade you into having a drink?" She asked.

"No, I really should be going, it's getting late." He told her. "I'll come over tomorrow, yeah?"

"Alright." She nodded. "See you tomorrow then."

He patted her shoulder and left the flat. Gwen leant against her bedroom door frame and sighed as she stared after him. Ianto appeared by her side and gave her a sad smile.

"Cheer up Gwen, I'm not that bad to live with, honest." He joked.

Gwen just gave him a small smile then disappeared into her room.

She found it hard to sleep that night and little did she know, that Owen was also having trouble sleeping.

He rolled onto his side to face the empty space where Gwen should have been sleeping. He had to admit that he was missing listening to her gentle breathing as she slipped deeper and deeper into sleep. He'd wait until he was sure she was completely unconscious before rolling over to watch her sleep. Her peaceful, beautiful face would be the last thing he saw before he too drifted off. He couldn't explain why but he had to do it every night.

She'd only been gone a few hours but already he was missing her presence. He grabbed the pillows she slept on and placed them under the sheets as though she was lying there. He put his arms around them as if he was holding her and breathed deeply to inhale her scent that lingered on the pillows. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend she was there. Almost but not entirely. Her body heat was still missing and the pillows weren't solid enough to be a body.

He didn't even want to think about why he was doing this. This wasn't usual behaviour for him and it was starting to irritate him. Owen Harper never moped over a girl.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Ianto answered the door to Owen.

"Good morning Owen." Ianto smiled. "And how are you this fine morning?"

"Yeah, fine. Is Gwen in?" Owen asked as he peered over Ianto's shoulder.

Ianto smirked then stepped to the side to let him in.

"Gwen, Owen's here." He called.

When Gwen stepped out of her bedroom, Owen noticed she was wearing the most beautiful smile causing his heart to flutter and butterflies to appear in his stomach.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hey." She smiled back. Ianto looked between them and grinned before disappearing into his own room. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good thanks." Owen nodded. "What about you? Sleep well?"

"Well, you know what it's like, sleeping somewhere strange for the first time." She answered. "Managed to drop off in the end. How was your night?"

"Oh, I was...off like a log." He lied.

"Really?" Gwen asked, a little disappointed.

"Yeah, dead to the world I was." He nodded.

"Oh...want a coffee?" She asked.

"Yeah please." He nodded.

"Right. I'll have to get Ianto to do it because he told me off last night when I went to make one. I don't do it right apparently. You know what a perfectionist he is with his coffee." Gwen sighed.

Once Ianto had provided them with coffee, he disappeared out for a few hours to give them some privacy. They settled on the sofa and a silence fell over them.

"So...how's the baby?" Owen asked.

"Fine, fine." Gwen nodded and she lifted her shirt slightly to look at her stomach. "It looks like I've eaten too much."

"Yeah but you're still as beautiful as ever." He said before he could stop himself.

They both stared at each other in surprise before Gwen cleared her throat and dropped her shirt. They looked away from each other but she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips.

After a few awkward moments, it didn't take them long to ease into comfortable conversation and mess around like they used to. For the first time in months, they felt so relaxed and comfortable together.

By the evening, Owen found he didn't want to leave and Gwen didn't want him to go. Neither wanted another restless night but they both knew it'd be a mistake if Owen stayed.

They said goodnight to each other and he gave her a clumsy kiss on the cheek as Ianto stepped through the door. He grinned as he watched Owen leave and Gwen watching him go with a dreamy smile on her face. She turned and spotted him staring.

"What?" She asked.

"Owen may say one thing but his body language says another." He smiled.

"What does that mean?" She frowned as she followed him into the kitchen.

Ianto paused and turned to smile at her.

"He is so in love with you." He told her.

"What? No. Really? Do you think?" She enquired. Ianto nodded and started to make a drink. Gwen sighed as she leant against the side. "I don't know. One minute he says one thing and I know he doesn't love me back, but then others...just little things he says or does...makes me wonder. I used to think I could read Owen like a book but now...I'm not so sure. Look, I don't want to get my hopes up, maybe I'm reading into this too much. Maybe he's just being a friend."

"Trust me Gwen, he loves you." Ianto replied. "He just doesn't know it yet."

He passed her a drink and she watched him leave the kitchen. She prayed that Ianto was right and that one day Owen would open his eyes and realise he loved her. She didn't think she could love another the way she loved him.

A few weeks later, Gwen walked slowly out onto the balcony of the autopsy bay. Owen was just putting his equipment away as she cleared her throat. He looked up and smiled.

"Everything ok?" He asked.

"There's erm...something I need to tell you." She said quietly. "I didn't...I haven't told my parents that we've called the whole thing off."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I don't want another lecture. My mum still looks at me with those disapproving eyes of hers and it's been months. I thought they'd gotten over it by now and were starting to look forward to having a grandchild." She told him. "Anyway, my parents still think we are going ahead with everything and they...well they want to come to dinner and discuss the plans with us."

"Well, you'll have to tell them then." He shrugged.

"I can't. They're already disappointed with me, I don't want to add another reason to that." She replied. "Please, Owen, just pretend for one night."

He sighed as she pleaded with her big, green eyes. How could he say no?

"Fine." He mumbled. "When are they coming?"

Gwen looked down at her hands and shifted from foot to foot.

"Tonight." She mumbled.

"Tonight? Gwen, you don't half know how to drop a bombshell." He told her.

"There's something else." She said quietly. "I wanted my parents to think we'd make good parents ourselves and that our child would be brought up in a loving family. I...I told them we were...in love."

Owen stared at her in shock and she waited anxiously for him to say something.

"Ok...right, well I guess that means we have to pretend to be a happy, loving couple." He said. Gwen nodded and bit her lip. "Right...that is...ok..." He quickly took off his lab coat and ran up the steps, rubbing his neck. "I...need some air."

Gwen watched as he ran out of the Hub's rolling door. Ianto stepped over to her and stood beside her as they both stared after Owen.

"At least he didn't take it as bad as he did when you told him you were pregnant." Ianto said. "That was...interesting."

"You don't think he'll disappear for another week do you?" Gwen asked.

"No but like you said, it's hard to read Owen sometimes." He replied.

"Still think he loves me?" She asked in amusement.

"Oh no doubt about it. He loves you and now I'm wondering if he's starting to work it out himself. It's just taking him some time to come to terms with it." He told her.

He squeezed her shoulder then disappeared into Jack's office. The Captain looked up and spotted Gwen. He smiled before Ianto closed the door behind him. Gwen sighed as she looked away. Her and Jack hadn't really spoken since she moved out of Owen's. She was scared of what might happen between them now that she was a single woman once again. It would be a mistake if anything happened. He loved Ianto and she loved Owen. They'd just be playing second best to each other.

Gwen closed her eyes and turned her back on Jack's office and any feelings she ever had for him.

It was getting late and nobody had heard from Owen. Gwen was starting to worry if she'd pushed him too far when the rolling door opened and Owen stepped in. His eyes met hers and he walked over to her.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Just...here and there..." He mumbled. "Well, I suppose we'd better be going home and pretending to be the perfect couple for when your parents get here. Shall we, darling?"

He held out his hand and she couldn't tell whether he was being serious or not. She took it anyway and followed him silently out of the Hub. He didn't look at her again during the car journey and Gwen sat watching him.

"You don't have to do this." She told him. "I'll call my mum and dad and tell them the truth."

"It's fine." He replied. "I said I'd help you in any way and if this is one of those ways...I'll do it."

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. You can always tell me to piss off, I'd understand." She said.

Owen turned to face her and he had a gentle smile on his face.

"I'd never do that." He said. "Well, not after the first time anyway."

Gwen laughed and shook her head.

"We have been through some shit, haven't we." She giggled.

"We have indeed." He nodded. "But it always works out in the end."

Gwen couldn't help but look at him hopefully. Was he implying what she thought he was implying or was she reading too much into it? She forced herself to not get her hopes up but she couldn't help but feel the butterflies quivering with excitement in her stomach.

Everything was ready and in place for when her parents arrived. Gwen prayed that her parents wouldn't see through their lies and that everything would run smoothly. She got a bit anxious when Owen opened a bottle of beer and almost downed it. Her parents would not be pleased if Owen was drunk at dinner.

"Just for the nerves." He reassured her. Gwen just sighed and shook her head slightly. He went to walk away but he paused as he remembered something. He pulled something small out of his pocket and held his hand out to Gwen. "Think you'll be needing this."

She held her hand out, palm up, and he dropped the contents of his hand into hers. She found herself staring down at the engagement ring he gave her. Her breath shook slightly as she nodded and slipped it onto her finger. They both stared down at it in silence, feeling that awkward tension building up again. Gwen looked up at him suddenly and grinned, trying to diffuse it.

"And you just happened to have this in your pocket?" She smirked.

"Well, I – I didn't want to lose it that's all." He shrugged. "Cost me a fortune and – and, well...I must have forgotten to take it out of my pocket the day you gave it back to me."

"So you haven't washed your trousers since then?" She asked in amusement.

"Yeah, I did. It obviously didn't get lost in the machine so it must have been tucked right into a corner." He lied.

"Yeah sure." She nodded, not believing him for a second.

Someone knocked on the door and Owen ran to get it before he had to think of any more excuses. Gwen laughed as she watched him go.

"Mr and Mrs Cooper, it's good to see you again." She heard Owen greet them.

"Yes." Her mother replied and she could imagine the disapproving look her mother was giving him.

Gwen sighed and went out to join them.

"Mum, dad, hi." She smiled. "Did you get here ok?"

"Fine, fine." Her dad nodded. "Traffic wasn't too bad."

"Oh good." Gwen replied. She glanced at her mother who was still staring at Owen disapprovingly. "Erm – come in. Make yourself at home."

She waited as her mother stepped forward and she was going to wait until she'd passed before following, but Mary took hold of her arm and gently pulled her along with her.

"How's Rhys these days? Do you see much of him?" Mary asked.

Gwen groaned internally and her smile became tight as she gritted her teeth.

"No, I don't. You know I don't mum." Gwen answered.

"Shame, he was a nice boy." She sighed. "He loved you and he treated you like a princess. Maybe you should give him a call and sort things out. You don't want to raise a baby alone."

"I won't be alone mum, I have Owen." Gwen reminded her.

"Hm? Oh, yes...Owen." Mary nodded. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to give him a call."

Mary and Geraint sat down on the sofa and Gwen sighed as she stood in front of them.

"Mum, I'm not getting back together with Rhys." She said firmly. "I...I love Owen and I know he'll look after us."

"Gwen's right." Owen said as he stood beside her. He looked at her a little awkwardly before putting his arm around her waist. "Mr and Mrs Cooper, I...love...your daughter and I promise to do everything I can to take care of her and our baby."

Gwen's heart was pounding against her chest as she looked at him. Hearing those words from his mouth only made her wish it was true even more. To her parents though, it was true and if they were to believe their lie, they had to act the part too. Gwen smiled as she leant into Owen's side and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen slightly but after a few moments, he relaxed and she was sure his grip around her waist tightened.

"Yes." Her mother nodded. "Well, when is the wedding going to be taking place?"

"Oh erm...well...we – we – the wedding -" Gwen stammered.

"We've decided to wait a while before we get married." Owen told them. "We don't want to rush things. We'll take it slow and...we'll most likely have the wedding in a year or so."

Gwen's parents seemed happy enough with his response and Gwen smiled thankfully at him. She turned her face away from her parents and leant in to whisper in his ear.

"Thank you." She whispered.

He squeezed her gently and when she pulled back slightly, he shot her a wink.

Dinner was a disaster. Gwen hoped that after her parents had found Owen's explanation satisfactory, they'd back off him and learn to accept him. She was wrong, however. Throughout dinner her mother and father made comments that were meant as a subtle dig at Owen. The more comments that were made, the more bottles of beer Owen drank, Gwen noticed. Her parents noticed too as with every bottle he drank, their eyebrows would rise.

When they finally left, Gwen took a deep, relieved breath. Owen was still sat at the table, swaying slightly, as she said goodbye to her parents. Gwen turned to head back to the table and came face to face with Owen. She jumped, her hand flying to her chest before she started to giggle.

"You do have a thing for making me jump." She laughed. Something in his eyes had changed. They were dark and hungry. "What is it?" His lips came crashing down onto hers. She was stunned for a few moments before she pulled herself together and pushed him away. "What are you doing?" He pushed her up against the wall and crushed his lips back onto hers. She shoved him away and glared at him. "You're drunk. Get away from me."

"Oh come on Gwen." He pouted. "One for old times sake? Surprised you're saying no seeing as you love me and everything. You're so desperate to play happy families with me." Gwen went to push past him, but he grabbed her arm. "Don't be like that babe. I'm sorry. Here let me kiss it all better."

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and started to leave, slamming the ring on the little table beside the door.

"Stay away from me." She muttered. "And don't call me babe. I'm going home."

She slammed the door behind her and tried to fight back the tears burning in her eyes. How dare he take advantage of her feelings.

When she arrived back at Ianto's, he watched her storm past to her room.

"Dinner didn't go well then?" He called. Gwen answered with the slam of her bedroom door. "Take that as a no."

The next morning, as Owen woke up, everything flooded back to him and he sighed as he sat up. He realised what an arse he'd been to Gwen and he'd never felt so bad in his life. He hadn't meant anything he'd said and to be honest, he'd actually enjoyed pretending to be a couple with Gwen. It all felt so natural and right but he still didn't understand why.

Later that morning, Gwen was taking some equipment up to the upper levels of the Hub and when she reached the stairs, the rolling door opened revealing one Owen Harper. She turned abruptly and walked off in the other direction. Owen jogged over to her and grabbed her arm.

"Get off me." She spat and tried to pull away.

"Gwen, please just listen. I want to apologise." He told her.

Gwen stopped struggling and he let her go. She folded her arms and waited.

"I'm listening." She said.

"I'm so sorry for my behaviour last night. I didn't mean to...do what I did and I never meant any of those things I said. I was drunk and I was acting like a complete twat." He said.

"You were." She nodded.

"I'm really sorry, Gwen. It won't happen again, I swear to you." He said sincerely.

Gwen stared at him for a few seconds before she gave him a small smile.

"Ok. You're forgiven." She told him.

"Yay." He grinned and he hugged her.

"Owen, I should say thank you for doing that for me last night. I know not many people would agree to do that. But...I'm going to tell my parents the truth. I thought about it and I realised that I need to be honest with them. They're going to waiting for a wedding that's never going to come and my mum's going to be wanting to do all the planning and stuff. How can we get out of that one? I think it's time I told the truth and let them know that they can't make decisions about my life for me." She explained.

"You tell them." Owen nodded. Gwen giggled at him as he grinned back. "So erm...do you – I mean – would you like – do you -"

"Owen, spit it out." She laughed. "What is it?"

"Well...do you...want to come over tonight and I'll make you dinner to apologise for last night?" He asked.

"Oh...yeah sure. I'd love to." She nodded shyly.

"Great." He smiled. "Listen, I'm going to be leaving the Hub early tonight so I'll come and pick you up from Ianto's around six? Is that ok?"

"That's fine. I look forward to it." She smiled.

Gwen just wanted to melt at the way Owen was smiling at her. There was so much tenderness and, dare she say it, love in his eyes, she felt a warm, tingling sensation from the tips of her fingers to her toes.

Owen cleared his throat and walked away quickly. She watched him go and sighed.

"See, what did I tell you?" A voice said from her side.

She jumped and looked around to see Ianto standing beside her.

"What is it about you men scaring me to death?" She mumbled. "That's three babies I could've had now."

"What?" Ianto asked. "Never mind. I said didn't I. It just takes time. I feel that time is near."

"I don't know how you can be so certain." Gwen told him.

"He just asked you out on a date." Ianto answered.

"It's not a date, it's just dinner." She replied.

"It's a date." Ianto grinned.

"No, Owen's just making dinner to apologise for what happened last night. I think it's sweet." She said.

"Alright, whatever you say." Ianto replied and walked away.

"It's not a date." She called after him.

She wouldn't admit it to Ianto but for the rest of the day, he had her wondering if Owen had in fact asked her on date. He was certainly acting shy and nervous around her after that. But maybe he was just nervous because he thought she'd think of it as a date when he only intended it as a simple dinner to say sorry like he'd said.

When Owen came to pick her up, she started to lean towards the date area but she wasn't going to get her hopes up. He arrived in a clean shirt and his best jeans. When she stood near him, she breathed in the scent of shower gel and aftershave. It seemed like he'd made an effort and she suddenly felt under dressed. She wanted to change but Owen told her she looked beautiful as she was which caused her cheeks to turn red and Ianto to grin behind Owen's back.

The dinner itself was wonderful. It wasn't just the food that she enjoyed. The two of them were laughing and smiling together and whenever there were a few moments of silence, they'd just sit gazing at each other. There were moments when Gwen wondered whether those three little words she had been dying to hear would be said but he'd look away again.

He took her home and just as she was about to let herself in, he kissed her cheek. His lips lingered and she let her eyes slide shut. His hand ran down her arm to rest at her waist. He pulled away and Gwen wondered if he was going to kiss her. Just as it looked like he was about to, he said goodnight and hurried off. She sighed and let herself into the flat.

"How was your date?" Ianto asked as she passed him in the living room.

Gwen couldn't help but smile as she skipped past him.

"Amazing." She grinned and disappeared into her bedroom.

Over the next few weeks, Gwen couldn't stop grinning. Owen would kiss her cheek for no apparent reason and he'd hug her more often. He wasn't afraid to place his hands on her bump and feel their baby moving. When he first found out, he touched her stomach once when Gwen had placed his hand there. He hadn't felt comfortable with it since and hadn't done it until now.

But it wasn't just the physical contact that made her so happy. Owen was relaxed around her like he used to be and because he was relaxed, it made her more comfortable. When he was tense and uneasy, she used to be scared that he'd back out and want nothing more to do with her or the baby. Now, however, her fears were gone and she knew Owen was going to make an amazing dad.

He also insisted on helping her find a home. Whenever she went to look around one, he went with her intent on finding the best home for her and their baby. He wasn't going to let her live just anywhere. Together, they found the perfect place. A three bedroomed, semi-detached with a front and back garden, each a fair size. It was a reasonable price and would be ready for Gwen to move into in a couple of months.

Gwen was due for another scan and Owen offered to perform the procedure before they went home one night. As they both stared in amazement and joy at their baby, Owen's hand covered hers and he squeezed it tight. She blushed as he looked into her eyes and smiled. They both looked away shyly and she felt him give her hand another squeeze.

After the scan, Owen followed Gwen up the autopsy bay stairs to the main area. She stopped suddenly and went to turn.

"I forgot my – whoah." Gwen gasped as her feet tangled together and she fell forward.

Owen grabbed her just in time and she ended up in a tight hold against his chest.

"Whoah there, care...ful..." He whispered. He gazed into her eyes and he suddenly realised why all his thoughts were of her, why he wanted to be around her twenty-four-seven, why he'd do anything for her. "Oh Gwen..."

"What is it?" She asked nervously.

After a few seconds of silence, Owen shook his head. He needed a little longer to work out exactly how he felt.

"It's nothing." He told her as he let go of her. "Do you want a lift home?"

"No, it's fine, I'm going with Ianto." She answered.

"Oh. I'll see you tomorrow then." He nodded.

"See you tomorrow." She nodded.

"Night...Gwen." He smiled.

"Night Owen." She laughed with a confused smile. "Oh, yeah my bag." She went to go past him and retrieve it, but he grabbed it for her and held it out to her. "Thanks."

As he passed it to her, their hands brushed and both felt a jolt of electricity pass between them. Owen wanted to hold on forever but he knew he had to let go some time. Before he did, he leant in faster than she could react and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He took his time to pull away and brushed his lips against hers. Gwen's face was a deep shade of pink and her eyes were wide in shock.

"Sweet dreams." He smiled.

"Yeah...you too." She nodded, dazed.

Owen watched her leave to find Ianto, then followed soon after.

Both were unaware that the Captain had been watching them. He'd seen the soft, gentle gazes and caresses they'd shared. He'd almost felt their love for each other coming off them in waves and twirling and entwining around him. Jack knew what was coming next but, although it pained him to think it, he couldn't imagine a better match for either of them. He took a deep breath as he decided it was time to put away any feelings he had for Gwen and concentrate on the one person he now knew he loved more than most. He smiled at the man following Gwen from the Hub. Just before the rolling door closed behind them, the well dressed man turned and smiled the most dazzling smile at him. Jack's heart swelled to double it's size.

"I love you Ianto Jones." Jack whispered to himself as the Welsh man disappeared.

Ianto noted the dreamy smile on Gwen's face as she prepared herself for bed.

"What's got you in such a cheerful mood?" Ianto asked.

"Oh everything." Gwen breathed. "Today has just been...wonderful. Night Ianto."

"Oh. Night." He called as she disappeared into her bedroom.

She climbed into bed and rolled onto her side so she could cradle her baby bump. As she ran her hands over her stomach, a gentle smile formed on her lips and her eyes slid shut. She could still feel Owen's lips against hers and she fell asleep to that feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

Gwen felt the warmth of a body next to her and she found herself shuffling towards it. Her head landed on something warm and solid. A hand gently brushed her cheek and she breathed in a familiar scent. If she was dreaming, she didn't want to wake up. She felt herself smiling at the scent and touch she'd recognise anywhere.

"Owen..." She whispered. She heard a soft chuckle and the body beneath her head shook. Gwen realised she wasn't dreaming and her eyes snapped open. She sat up quickly and her eyes widened as she came face to face with Owen. "Owen! How the hell did you get in here? What are you doing here?"

"Gwen, it's alright. I didn't break in or anything. Ianto let me in." He reassured her. "He went out and...I just...had to see you. There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked nervously.

"I...I...Gwen, I..." He struggled to find the right way to say the words he'd been dying to say since last night at the Hub. Instead, Owen reached out and cupped her face in his hand. Gwen gasped as he slowly covered her lips with his. After a few moments, she responded and they shared a tender kiss. He pulled away and leant his forehead on hers. "I love you Gwen."

"You – you love me?" She gasped.

"I do." He nodded. "I love you so much." As he kissed her again, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Her arms snaked around his neck as she kissed him back. When they broke apart, Gwen's smile took his breath away. "I'm sorry it took so long to realise."

"I don't care how long it took. I'm just so happy to hear you say those words." She smiled.

"Well get used to it because you'll be hearing it a lot." He told her. "I love you Gwen Cooper."

"I love you too Owen Harper." She grinned.

"So...will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

"I'll have to think about that one." She grinned. "Of course I will you bloody idiot. Here, take your shoes and coat off and lie with me for a bit, yeah?"

"Sure." He nodded.

Owen did as she asked then lay down beside her. His strong arms encircled her as she snuggled into him and rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating beneath her ear and she smiled. One of his hands moved to rest on her stomach and she placed hers on top, threading her fingers through his. Gwen tilted her head up to gaze lovingly into his eyes and he gazed back just as fondly. As their lips met in another sweet kiss, Owen slowly and gently rolled them so he was hovering above her. Gwen pushed him away and bit her lip.

"Owen..." She hesitated. "I know this sounds stupid seeing as I'm pregnant with your baby but...I want us to start again. Take it slow. I...I don't think we should...yet. I just don't want to make a mess of this because I love you so much so I think we need to do this properly. I'm sorry if that's not what you want but..."

"No, I think you're right." He nodded. "I want this to work. Let's take it one step at a time."

"Yeah." She nodded. She pecked him on the lips and jumped out of bed. "Couldn't make us a cup of tea while I go in the shower could you?"

"Would you like me to bring this tea in to you?" He asked.

"I think it's better if you don't come in." She smiled.

"I can control myself." He told her.

"_You_ might be able to." She smirked and walked away.

Owen chuckled as he watched her leave then wandered into the kitchen to make them a drink.

As Gwen showered, she couldn't help but grin and hum upbeat songs loudly. Normally she wasn't a morning person but she'd just had the best wake up call ever. The man she loved and was about to have a baby with said he loved her back. She replayed that moment over and over again as she danced around.

When she was finished, she wrapped up in a towel and danced into her bedroom where Owen was waiting with a cup of tea.

"Am I right in thinking that something has made you happy this morning?" He asked.

"You are." She nodded. "But it's not some_thing_ it's some_one_." She stood in front of him and leant in until her lips touched his. "You." She kissed him and giggled as she heard him growl. She felt one of his hands grip the edge of the towel and she slapped it away. "Owen."

Owen held his hands up and sighed as she pulled away.

"Sorry." He apologised.

She laughed as she kissed him again.

"Maybe you should wait outside." She said.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea." He nodded. "Tea's on the side."

"Thank you." She smiled.

Gwen watched him leave and sighed dreamily.

As he left, he heard the quiet thud of her towel hitting the floor and he clenched his fists as he fought not to look. If he turned around now, there'd be no stopping him and they didn't need that now. Despite everything they'd already been through, they had to take it one step at a time and start from scratch.

When Gwen left her room, Owen was sat on the sofa and he stopped breathing as he caught sight of her.

"You look beautiful." He said.

Gwen looked down at herself and laughed.

"I barely managed to fasten my jeans over my stomach, I'm wearing my oldest, scruffiest t-shirt because it's the only one that fits and my socks don't even match." She told him.

Owen stood up and walked to stand directly in front of her. He held both her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes.

"You look gorgeous to me." He whispered.

Gwen smiled shyly as she leant in to give him a quick, bashful kiss. She went to pull away but he locked his fingers in her hair and kissed her passionately. Gwen sighed into the kiss and fisted her hands into his shirt. When he pulled away, he kissed the tip of her nose and smiled.

"I love you." She breathed. "Come on, we'd better be getting to work. Then after, you can take me shopping for some maternity clothes. No matter how many times you say I look good, I won't believe you until I have clothes that actually fit and don't look like I'm about to hatch out of them."

"You want me to take you clothes shopping?" He asked with a pained look on his face.

"Yep." She nodded. "And you know you'll do it because you love me."

"I do." He sighed. "And you're right. Alright, I'll take you. As long as you try on some sexy lingerie and model it for me."

"Is that the price?" She smirked. "Well, I'm sorry but that won't be happening any time soon."

"I know." He said. "Just...putting the idea out there and hoping you'll agree. Anyway, let's go."

Gwen laughed and shook her head at him as he led the way out of the flat.

While they were waiting for the rolling door to open, Owen took hold of her hand and squeezed it tight. She found it hard to tear her eyes away from his as he pulled her through the door and into the Hub. She didn't look away until he pulled out her chair for her to sit down. When he moved away, her eyes fell on Jack and she caught him watching them. Her smile slipped as a look of sorrow passed between them. She forgot Owen was beside her until he pressed a kiss to her temple. Gwen quickly smiled up at him then watched him walk down to the autopsy bay. Once he'd gone, she turned back to see Jack walking towards her.

"So...you and Owen?" He said as he stood beside her. "Are you...together now?"

"Yeah." Gwen grinned.

"He finally told you he loved you then." Jack smiled sadly.

"He did." She nodded. "It was...sort of creepy to be honest. I woke up and he was there sitting on my bed. Bit of a surprise really. But then again, it was kind of romantic."

"Well, I guess I should say congratulations again." He said. "It's good to see you both happy."

"Thank you, Jack." She smiled.

He tilted his head in a slight nod and smiled before walking away. Gwen watched him pause as he reached the entrance to the autopsy bay. It looked as though he would walk past but he surprised her by disappearing down the stairs to Owen's lair.

Owen looked up as he noticed his Captain standing on the stairs.

"Hey Jack." He said.

"Hey. So Gwen's just told me you two are an item now." Jack told him.

"We are." He nodded with the same dreamy smile that Gwen had. "I love her so much."

"Well, I'm happy for you." Jack said. "Just erm...one thing." The Captain stepped closer. "Look after her. You've got an amazing woman there and she's about to have your baby. Don't let her get hurt. Or you'll have me to answer to."

"I will look after them Jack." Owen told him. "I'd never hurt her or my baby and I won't let anyone else hurt them either. They both mean so much to me and I don't want to lose them."

"Good." Jack smiled.

He turned to leave when Owen called him back.

"Jack." Owen said. The Captain turned and nodded. "While we're on the subject. Take care of Ianto. When you left, he took it the hardest out of all of us. He just...went to pieces. He even had me worried. We all took it in turns to watch over him. He's still hurting now about it but he won't say anything to you, he'll just bottle it up and try and pretend everything's fine because that's Ianto. But for those few months when you were away...he wasn't the Ianto we know and to be honest it scared the shit out of me never mind the girls. I don't ever want to see him like that again. So you look after him, Jack."

"I will." Jack nodded, horrified to hear how much he'd hurt the man he loved.

He vowed then and there to talk to Ianto properly and to make it up to him somehow.

Over the next few weeks, Owen was roped into taking Gwen clothes shopping more than once. She soon ended up with a good pile of maternity clothes and even found some outfits for after she'd had the baby. He also helped her buy things for the baby and soon poor Ianto's flat was almost bursting at the seams. Gwen promised that it wouldn't be for long as the date she moved into her new home drew closer and closer.

A week before she moved out, Owen was sat in his flat watching TV when his phone rang. He smiled as he saw who it was.

"It's my angel calling from heaven." He said as he answered it.

"Aaw you are sweet." Gwen laughed.

"What can I do for you?" Owen asked.

"Well, I was just...calling to tell you that Ianto's gone out with Jack...won't be back until tomorrow night, he said." She told him.

"Oh really?" Owen replied, knowing what she was implying right away but he wanted to hear it from her lips.

"Yep...whole flat to myself." She answered.

"Oh right." He smirked.

"Yeah..." She said. Owen counted the seconds in his head before Gwen burst out. "Owen, do I have to spell it out for you? You. Me. Empty flat. Get your arse over here now."

"On my way." He said quickly and ended the call.

Gwen flung the door open before he had the chance to knock and she pulled him inside.

"What took you so long?" She asked as she pushed his jacket from his shoulders.

"Hey it only took me ten minutes to get here." He said as she led him backwards towards her room. Her hands moved to his belt and he grabbed her wrists. "Easy tiger. You wanted to do this properly and so do I." He held her chin in his hand and caught her lips in tender, loving kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." She breathed.

As their lips met in a passionate and love filled kiss, Owen lifted her into his arms and carried her into her room. Gwen wrapped her arms around him tighter than she'd ever held anyone before. She thought her heart was going to explode as they shared something special. Fireworks burst in front of her eyes as she felt Owen's love pouring from him with every touch, every kiss and every whisper of her name. She prayed he could feel her love for him in return.

Later that night, she lay in his arms just listening to the sound of his breathing and the beating of his heart beneath her ear. She looked up at him and found that his eyes were closed.

"You asleep?" She whispered.

Owen opened his eyes and shook his head as he smiled at her.

"No. Just...basking in the moment." He told her. He pulled her up to capture her lips in a kiss then cupped her face in his hand to gaze into her glittering green eyes. Her hair was ruffled and fell around her face, her eyes still sparkled from their moment of passion, her cheeks were pink and flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses. He ran his thumb across her lips and she kissed it. "You're so beautiful."

Her cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink as she smiled shyly. She kissed the hand holding her face before rolling to lie beside him, yawning as she did.

"Let's go to sleep." She said.

"Good idea." He nodded. She rolled onto her side and he pressed his chest against her back as he put his arm around her. He laced his fingers through hers then placed their clasped hands on her baby bump. With his free hand he moved her hair from her shoulder so he could place a kiss at the base of her neck. She shivered and sighed as he placed more and more along her neck and shoulder. Placing one last kiss on her cheek, he lay down properly behind her keeping his arm over her. "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Night darling." She whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too." He replied.

When Gwen woke up the next morning, she found herself stretched out on her back with Owen's arm draped across her. Her eyes travelled up his arm and she smiled as they came to rest on his face. He was lying on his front with his head turned towards her. His lips were parted slightly and he was snoring softly.

She smiled and snuggled closer, hoping to slip back into a light sleep but Owen's eyes opened and he smiled sleepily at her.

"Didn't wake you did I?" She whispered.

"No, no...a little bit." He admitted. "But I don't mind." He propped himself up on his elbow so he could gaze down at her. "Because I have the most amazing woman to wake up to." He caught her lips in a loving kiss and she couldn't help but sigh. "I kind of lied that time you asked me how I'd slept. I didn't sleep a wink and I haven't really been able to sleep since you left. That was the best nights sleep I've had since then."

"Me too." She nodded. "I've missed you." Gwen bit her lip as she looked into his eyes. "Owen...I move into my new place next week. I...I want you to move in with me."

"You want me to live with you?" Owen asked. "Like _live_ live with you? As a proper couple?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." She said quickly. "I just thought..."

"Gwen, of course I want to." He grinned. "God, yes."

She grinned and pulled him into a passionate kiss. As he moved to get comfortable, Gwen locked her legs around his waist and raised her eyebrow. Owen growled hungrily and gripped her hips, his fingers curling into her sides.

With one last scream of his name, Gwen tumbled over the edge and Owen followed soon after calling her name. He rolled away and collapsed beside her on the bed. They lay in silence as they caught their breath.

Once she'd built up her strength, she rolled onto her side to face him.

"Couldn't get us a glass of water could you?" She asked.

"I would normally argue that you're the one that lives here so you should get the water but I'm dying of thirst myself." He told her. He caught her lips in a quick kiss. "Be right back."

After giving her another peck on the lips, he jumped out of bed and pulled on his boxers. Gwen watched him pad out of the room then snuggled into the warm space he'd just vacated, her hands cradling her baby bump.

Owen whistled as he poured an ice cold glass of water for himself and Gwen. As he left the kitchen with a glass in each hand, the door to the flat opened and Ianto stepped in. They both stopped and looked at each other in surprise.

"Owen." Ianto said.

Owen didn't care how he looked, he'd just got lucky. Twice. With the woman he loved more than anyone in this world. He smiled at the Welsh man.

"Good morning Ianto." He replied before heading back into Gwen's room, whistling. As he went inside, Gwen sat up to take her drink from him. He noticed she'd grabbed his shirt and put it and her underwear on. "I thought you said Ianto wasn't back until tonight."

"He wasn't supposed to be." Gwen told him. "Did he say something to you?"

"No I think he was just surprised to see me." He answered.

Gwen giggled as he sat next to her.

"Probably should have warned him before he left yesterday. Maybe I should have asked him if it was ok first?" She sighed.

"Gwen, we're not teenagers." Owen laughed. "We don't need permission. Besides, I think it's too late to ask permission."

They sipped their drinks in silence then placed them on the side on the mats that Ianto had put on her bedside table so she didn't make rings. Owen turned back to place his hand on her bump and his smile turned tender and gentle as he stared down at it.

"Owen, I never asked...what made you change your mind? When I told you I was pregnant, you disappeared for a week. What made you change your mind? Why didn't you just run like you were going to?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I admit, when you told me...I didn't want this. I didn't want any of it. I was so angry, with myself, with you, with everyone. I did actually just want to run away and leave it all behind. Forget about it and just carry on with my life somewhere else as if none of this ever happened. Did you know I actually packed my bags at one point?" He said. Gwen shook her head as she gazed sadly at him. "Yeah, I got that angry." Owen continued to stare at his hand resting on her stomach as he gently moved his thumb in small circles. She let out a content sigh as a small smile grew across her face. "And then I realized I was doing exactly what my dad did to me and my mum. He walked out on us when he found out my mum was pregnant. I never met him but I always hated him for what he did to us. I still do. It's about the one feeling me and my mum share, hatred towards my dad. And it got me thinking...I didn't want to be like that. I didn't want to be a dad that lets his kids down or for them to hate me. I didn't want _you_ to hate me, I just didn't know why at the time. I decided then that I was going to be the man that my dad never could be. I was going to take responsibility for my actions and I was going to love this baby and take care of them no matter what. This isn't about me any more. This is about that innocent life we created and making sure we give it the best damn life we can. I promise I will do that for our baby and for you too."

Gwen didn't know how to respond. She was so touched by Owen's speech that she felt tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Come here." She whispered and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "I love you. I really bloody love you and you are going to be the best bloody dad there is."

"Do you think so?" He asked.

"I know it." She nodded.

"I love you." He smiled as she pulled back slightly to gaze into his eyes.

As their lips met in a loving kiss, there was a knock at the door. Gwen looked down and made sure she was covered.

"It's alright, you can come in." She called. The door opened and Ianto walked in. He smiled awkwardly as he looked down at where Owen's hands were resting on her stomach. Clearly he'd just walked in on a personal moment. "Morning Ianto. Erm – I'm sorry, I should have asked you if it was ok for Owen to come over."

"It's fine. You're both adults and you're both in a relationship with a baby on the way." He shrugged.

"I know but this is your flat and I'm only here as a guest. I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage." She explained. "Anyway, what can we do for you?"

"Ah yes. There is a Rhys Williams here to see you." Ianto told her.

"What?" Gwen gasped. "What's he doing here? How does he even know where I am?" Her face suddenly darkened as she looked at Owen. "This has got my mother written all over it. For God's sake will she never stop interfering? Ianto, tell Rhys I'll be with him in a minute." Ianto nodded once and left the room. "I'll kill her."

"Gwen, calm down. Relax. She's just trying to do what she thinks is best for you." Owen told her as he held her arms. "But I have to say, no offence, I am getting a little tired of her interfering. However, she's doing it because she loves you and she just wants to take care of you. You just have to be a little firm with her and tell her you know she cares but this is your life and you're not a child any more. Just let her know you're happy to hear her suggestions for some things but not everything. Ok?"

Gwen nodded and sighed.

"I hate it when your ideas are so much more logical and reasonable than mine." She mumbled with a small smile.

"Come on." He said. "We're going to get dressed, then we're going to go out there and we'll sort it calmly and coolly."

"We?" She asked.

"Yeah well...I'm your boyfriend, the father of our baby. You know...you're with me now...I want to be there to support you...if you need it." He mumbled.

"You want to mark your territory more like." Gwen laughed.

"No it's not like that at all. Like I said, I'm your boyfriend I'm here for you. If it comes off as me...'marking my territory' as you put it, it's purely by accident." He said. "Besides, I kind of...did that four months ago."

"Yes you did, didn't you." Gwen smiled as she ran her hand across her stomach. "Come on, let's get this over with." They dressed quickly and Gwen took hold of his hand before they left the room. "Ok, so maybe I just want to subtly let him know that I'm with you now – but it's for his benefit. This way it'll save him the humiliation of asking me to get back together with him and me having to turn him down."

"Very...considerate." Owen nodded slowly.

"Ok." Gwen breathed. "Let's go."

She opened her bedroom door and led Owen out into the living room. Ianto was standing awkwardly in the living room while Rhys was sat on the sofa, just as awkwardly. Gwen smiled at Ianto and he hurried off, grateful that he was no longer required to keep Rhys entertained. She took a deep breath as she turned her attention to Rhys. He'd jumped up off the sofa and was staring at her and Owen's clasped hands. His expression turned cold as he glanced at Owen then he turned to Gwen and gave her a sad smile.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi." She replied.

"You look...great." He told her as he glanced down at her bump. "Wow, you're really...getting big."

"I...think that's a compliment. Thanks." She laughed. "You're looking good too. Have you lost weight?"

"A couple of pounds." Rhys shrugged.

"Good for you." Gwen smiled. "So how have you been?"

"Oh you know...I'm surviving." He shrugged again. "What about you? You look...happy."

He glanced at the couples joined hands then looked at the floor sadly.

"Yes. We're looking forward to this little one making an arrival." She grinned as she placed her free hand over her stomach. "We're moving into our own home next week." She felt a little guilty as Rhys' expression became even more pained. "Rhys...I've missed you. I -"

"Erm, Gwen." Owen interrupted. "No offence but...I think we should sort this out first."

"Oh – yeah." She nodded. "You're right. So...Rhys...what brings you here?"

"Your mum told me you wanted to speak to me." He answered.

"Oh did she now?" Gwen asked, folding her arms in anger.

"I didn't think she was telling the truth." Rhys told her as he looked at Owen.

"I am getting sick and tired of my bloody mother sticking her nose into my business." Gwen growled, her voice rising.

"Babe, calm down." Owen said as he grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes blazed with fury as he looked into them and tried to calm her down. "Don't get stressed, it's not good for the baby. Deep breaths. Do it with me. In...and out." Gwen glared at him for a few seconds then closed her eyes as she took deep, calming breaths. "Alright. Ok. Better?"

She opened her eyes and nodded, giving him a small smile. She pecked him on the lips before turning back to Rhys who was discreetly looking away.

"Rhys, I'm sorry but my mother has sent you out on a pointless mission. You see, my parents don't really...approve of Owen after...what happened." She explained.

"Understatement of the century." Owen snorted.

Gwen rolled her eyes at him and carried on as if he hadn't interrupted.

"They seem to think that if I see you again and we get talking, we'll sort out our differences, kiss and make up and get back together." She said. Rhys looked at her in surprise. "The thing is...Rhys, I love you but...well, we were just growing apart and I just feel we don't love each other as much as we used to. It wouldn't be right if we were to get back together."

"No, I agree." Rhys replied. "If I'd have known what your parents were up to, I'd have told them myself. Let's face it, we weren't happy – at least not as much as we used to be. I don't think we were that unhappy to make you...do what you did though but let's not go into that now. I look at you now and you just seem so much happier. You are happy aren't you?"

Gwen smiled at Owen and wrapped her arm around his waist as she leant into him.

"Completely." She nodded.

"And that's all I want for you." He said.

"I want you to be happy too." She replied. A smile passed between them and there was so much tenderness in each other's eyes, they knew they'd never really get over each other but they could move on. "Owen...could you leave us for a few minutes?"

"Sure." Owen nodded. He pressed a kiss to her forehead but Gwen and Rhys' eyes never left each other. "I'll be in your room if you need me."

"Ok." Gwen whispered. Owen didn't want to leave, fearing Gwen would fall back into the arms of her ex-boyfriend. But he knew she loved him and he trusted her one hundred percent and at the end of the day, he knew she'd always come back to him. He left them alone and Gwen tore her eyes away from Rhys to watch him go. She didn't look back or speak until she heard her bedroom door shut. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, patting the space beside her. Rhys sat next to her and they stared into each other's eyes. "I do still love you, you know and I've missed you so much."

"Me too." Rhys nodded. "You're not the easiest woman to get over, Gwen Cooper."

Gwen laughed sadly and looked down at her hands.

"You know, there are some nights I lie awake and I wonder...if we could ever get back what we had. I have to ask myself if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life. But then I realise that it's too late for that. We're just...so different now." She told him sadly. "I really will miss you and everything we had but we both need to move on and be happy and be happy for each other too."

"Yeah." Rhys nodded.

They shared a small smile and before Gwen could stop herself, she leant towards him and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. Rhys slowly started to respond and his hand tangled in her hair. Before she knew it, she was back to just over a year ago. Before any of this happened, before she joined Torchwood and before she met Captain Jack Harkness and Owen Harper. Back to it just being her and Rhys living in their cosy little flat living their normal lives with their normal jobs, in love with each other all over again.

Gwen suddenly broke away and she clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Rhys, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She said quickly. "I – I didn't mean -"

"Gwen, it's ok." Rhys reassured her. "I know. It didn't mean anything. If anything, it was a...a goodbye kiss."

"Yeah, yeah – a goodbye kiss." Gwen nodded.

An awkward silence fell between them and Rhys suddenly jumped up.

"I should go." He said.

Gwen followed him to the door.

"We'll keep in touch, yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Well...congratulations and good luck."

"Thank you." Gwen smiled. "And I wish you all the best." She pulled him into a tight hug before he left. When the door shut behind him, she hung her head and took a deep breath. She turned and started to walk back into the living room when she noticed Owen standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened and she froze. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." He said.

"Owen." She started. "I am so sorry. I never meant to kiss him, I -"

Owen held up his hand to stop her.

"Gwen, don't worry about it. It's fine, I understand. You still love Rhys and I expect that. I don't expect you to just stop caring about someone you've been with for years." He told her. "Just...you know...don't let it happen again."

"It won't, I swear." She promised. "And yes I do love Rhys." She walked to stand in front of him and placed her hands on his chest. "But I love you more. You're the only one I want to be with and you're the only one I want to raise this baby with. You mean more to me than anyone."

"Really?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. His hands ran from her shoulders to her hands and he placed them over hers. Threading his fingers through hers, he took a step back. "Well, I'm glad you think that. Gwen I love you more than I've loved anyone before. Ever since that day you walked into the Hub carrying those pizza boxes, you've had this strange but strong hold on me. Every time I looked at you, I just couldn't help but think 'God, she's beautiful and funny and sweet'. Alright, I'll be honest, I was actually thinking about ways to get you into bed and all the things I wanted to do to you – but when I wasn't thinking that I was thinking about how beautiful and amazing you were. You still are all those things of course but it's even better now because you're mine." Gwen giggled and he laughed along with her. "I've always loved you. Even when I didn't understand what this hold you had on me was...somewhere inside I knew it was love. I was scared at first when you said you loved me because it was all starting to become clear and I didn't like what was happening. This is Owen Harper here we're talking about, I didn't do love...but I'd do anything for you. I can't wait to move in and have this baby with you. I couldn't have found a better woman to do this with and I still know I couldn't. Which is why..."

Owen started to kneel down and Gwen gasped.

"Owen, what the hell are you doing?" She asked.

He let go of her right hand and reached around to his back pocket.

"Gwen..." He started.

Ianto walked out of his room and stopped in his tracks when he saw Owen on one knee in front of Gwen. She glanced at him, still in shock, then turned her attention back to Owen.

"Owen, get up. Stop it." She said quickly.

"Elizabeth Cooper..." He smiled. He brought out the little black velvet box containing the engagement ring he'd given her previously. Gwen's eyes were wide as she shook her head. "Will you marry me?"


	6. Chapter 6

She looked between Ianto and Owen before grabbing the front of his shirt.

"Get up." She said.

She dragged him into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. He laughed and started to unbutton her blouse.

"Wow, didn't expect a yes like this." He smirked.

"No – Owen – stop it." She said and slapped his hands away. "I'm not saying yes. What happened to taking this slow?"

"Yeah well I thought about that. Why should we take things slow? You know, we're having a baby together, you want me to move in with you, I'm completely in love with you and I know you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." He argued.

"Owen, I love you too and...I don't know...yeah, I'd probably like to get married one day." She told him.

"Then why wait? We know what we want and we know it'll work so why don't we just go for it?" He asked.

"Because I...I don't know. It's just all happening so fast." She replied. "If we'd been together for longer and we were living together and the baby had been planned, I'd say yes. But we're not there yet. I need – we _both_ need to just take it one step at a time and not rush it. If we jump into too many things at once, I just feel we'll be under so much pressure and I don't want us to crack. I'm sorry." She reached out and closed the little box that was still in Owen's hand. "But it's a no for now."

She went to push his hand away but Owen grabbed hers and placed the box into it.

"No, I want you to hold onto it. Just...think about it." He smiled. Before Gwen could argue, he grabbed their empty mugs from earlier and started to leave. "I'll make us a quick one before we leave."

Gwen waited for him to leave before looking down at the little velvet box in her hand. She listened to hear if he was returning then slowly opened the box. It was a beautiful ring and she did love wearing it. She loved the fact that it meant she belonged to Owen and no one else. That's what she wanted. To be with Owen forever and to start a family.

She saw herself walking down an aisle in a white, flowing dress. Owen stood at the end in a suit and he was wearing the most breath taking smile. His eyes were full of love for her as she reached the end and he held out his hand. She was smiling back as she took it and she turned to see her mum and dad sat in the front, a baby held in her mum's arms. Her and Owen's child. Her smile grew as she gazed at the baby then turned back to Owen.

Gwen suddenly snapped the ring box shut again and shook her head. Too much too soon. She'd be happy, she knew that. She'd never felt as happy as she did in that vision. But something inside her was screaming at her to hold on just for a little bit longer.

She put the box on the side and left the bedroom to find Owen. He was in the kitchen pouring them both a drink when she found him. She made a disgusted sound when she noticed he had the decaf coffee jar open on the side. Owen chuckled as he turned to her.

"I know it's awful but it's better for the baby." He told her. "Look, I'm suffering with you. I made a decaf one for me too."

"Oh how kind of you." She said.

Owen laughed and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and caught her lips in a sweet kiss. When he pulled away, he leant his forehead against hers.

"I do love you." He told her.

"If you're trying to persuade me into saying yes, it's not going to work." She smiled.

"Oh I'm not going to say anything more about it. I'm just going to let you think about it for a while because I am not taking no for an answer. But...I won't say another word." He said.

"What makes you think I'll be thinking about it?" She asked. Owen just shrugged. "And you think I'll just change my mind just like that?"

"I know you will." He replied confidently and kissed her again.

Gwen laughed and shook her head at him as he walked away to finish their drinks. He could be so sure of himself at times.

Owen was right however, as throughout the day at the Hub, Gwen would find herself drifting off and thinking about that little black box on her bedside table and the vision she'd had. Why should they wait? What was she even waiting for? She loved Owen and she knew they had a future. She wanted to marry him but what was stopping her?

"It's too bloody soon, that's what Gwen." Her brain screamed at her. "We've only just started this relationship, we're still in the lovey-dovey stage. We only think we know what we want. But what happens when everything settles down? What do we do if we realise it's not working out? I don't want to rush into marriage and have that happen." She watched Owen walk up the steps from the autopsy bay and she felt that familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach she got every time she saw him. "But it might not."

As Owen walked past, he spotted her staring and winked.

"Something on your mind darling?" He asked innocently before disappearing in the direction of the Torchwood morgue.

She went weevil hunting with Jack, against Owen's wishes, but she was so distracted, she was staring off into space and let the weevil run straight past her. The Captain just glared at her and pointed to the SUV. She sloped off like a child sent to the naughty step and waited in the SUV while he captured their target. She supposed it was a good thing though, as Owen had argued before she and Jack had left, they couldn't risk anything happening to the baby. There'd already been too many close calls.

By the end of the week, Jack had confined Gwen to the Hub. She'd been too distracted to go on missions and had been forced to do all the teams admin instead.

While Owen was performing an autopsy, Gwen suddenly came running out onto the balcony. She had to ask him something that had been running through her mind since he asked.

"Owen, I need to know. Did you only ask me to marry you because you thought I'd go back to Rhys? Because you know I'd never do that. I love you and I only want to be with you." She said.

"I know that." He nodded. "And of course that's not why I asked. I told you why I did. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Ok." Gwen replied. "Right."

"So...been thinking about it have we?" He asked.

Gwen just stared at him then left quickly. He grinned as he turned his attention back to the body he was examining.

After moving into their new home, Gwen kept the ring on the bedside table on her side of the bed. It had started off closed but Owen would sneak in and open it so she could see it. She'd close it again but every time she went back the box had been opened. Owen never said a word to her about it but she knew he was always thinking and waiting for her to say yes.

One morning, Owen was in the shower while Gwen lay in bed trying to wake herself up. She rolled onto her side and stared at the ring on the side. Her reasons for not saying yes were getting weaker and weaker and she was finding it harder to resist.

She slowly reached out and took the ring from it's box. She rolled it between her fingers before hesitantly slipping it onto her finger. Once the ring was in place, Gwen smiled and jumped out of bed. As she made her way to the bathroom, her heart started to pound with excitement.

She slipped into the bathroom as quietly as she could so she wouldn't alert Owen to her presence and slowly made her way towards the shower. The sound of running water and Owen whistling made her smile grow. She pulled the shower door open ever so slightly then slipped her left hand in as if to open it fully and so that Owen would see the ring on her finger.

The whistling stopped suddenly and Gwen felt the door being pulled from her grasp. Owen grabbed her hand and pulled her under the hot spray, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"I take that as a yes." He grinned.

"Well...it's not a yes exactly. It's a maybe." She told him.

Owen backed her up against the tiled wall and pressed himself against her.

"Oh no, you're wearing the ring. That definitely means yes." He said.

"No." She protested. "It's a maybe someday in the near future but not right now. I still think it's -"

Owen cut her off by crushing his lips onto hers and kissing her with all the fire and passion he could muster. He pulled away and gazed into her eyes.

"Cut the bollocks Gwen. I don't know why you're not letting yourself say yes but I know you want this. I know you want to marry me." He told her. "You're wearing the ring for God's sake." He took a deep breath and took a step back. "So...I'm going to ask again and I want you to answer with your heart." He knelt down and took the ring back off her finger. Holding her hand tight in his, he held the ring up and gave her that breath taking smile. "Gwen Cooper, will you marry me?"

Gwen took a deep breath as she looked into his eyes. The seconds that past felt like hours to Owen and he was starting to worry she'd change her mind and say no, but he wouldn't give up. He knew she wanted this just as much as he did.

A small smile slowly spread across her face and she nodded.

"Yes." She answered. "Yes I will marry you."

Owen grinned and placed the ring back on her finger. As he stood up, he kissed her passionately and held her tightly. He lifted her off the floor and locked her legs around his waist as he pressed her back against the tiled wall.

"God I love you." He smiled.

"I love you too." She smiled back. "But drop me and I'll kill you."

"I've never dropped you before." He smirked as he kissed down her neck and shoulder.

"I know but I'm pregnant now. I have a baby to protect. Your baby." She told him.

"My baby." Owen whispered into her shoulder. "My Gwen."

Her arms slid around his neck as she kissed him. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip earning a deep growl to vibrate through his chest. Gwen gasped as he slammed his hips against hers and joined them as one. Her eyes slid shut and her head fell back against the wall giving his lips and teeth more access to her neck. Her nails dug into his shoulders as the pace quickened and he hissed in a mixture of pain and pleasure. He bit down on her neck and she cried out. His tongue flicked out to soothe the angry, red mark and she was quick to return the gesture.

Owen slumped against Gwen after they tumbled over the edge together in a jumble of incoherent words mixed with each other's names. He gently placed her feet back on the floor and they clung to one another, trying to keep each other up. She fisted her hands in his hair and used what strength she had left to kiss him passionately.

"I'm so glad we finally have our own place." She whispered as she tried to catch her breath. "Somehow I don't think Ianto would have been ok about that one."

"No." Owen laughed. "Definitely not." He brushed the hair away that was sticking to her face and kissed her gently. "I think we should shower now."

"Yeah." She nodded.

She grabbed a wash cloth and lathered it up. A devilish smile spread across her lips as she slowly started to wash his chest, rubbing the cloth in small circles. She nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth before capturing his lips in a steamy kiss. Owen moaned in appreciation and it was her turn to back him up against the wall.

"What has gotten into you this morning?" He whispered as he ran his hands up her thighs to her hips.

"I'm blaming it on the hormones." She told him. "That and the fact that my fiancé is drop dead gorgeous and knows how to drive me wild."

"You called me your fiancé." Owen grinned.

"Well that is what you are." She said.

"Yes. Yes I am." He nodded, winding his arms tightly around her waist.

Gwen pulled away from him and smirked as she knelt down in front of him. Her eyes burned into his as she kissed her way up his thighs, running the cloth along with her. He let out a groan as he felt himself recovering from their session just a few moments ago.

"Well hello there." Gwen breathed.

Owen hissed as he felt something hot and wet surround him.

Later that morning as the couple waited for the Hub's rolling door to open, they kissed passionately, tongues battling for dominance and hands roaming.

"Hey, cut the live sex show." A voice shouted.

Gwen pulled back slightly but kept her body pressed against Owen's and her hands gripped tightly onto his jacket. They both saw the rest of the team staring at them and Gwen's mischievous grin only grew.

"Sorry everybody we just got carried away with our celebrating." She told them as she took hold of Owen's hand and led him into the Hub. "We have some exciting news don't we baby."

"We do." He smiled as she kissed him again.

Gwen finally let go of Owen to hold out her left hand and show the others the engagement ring.

"We're engaged – properly engaged this time." She grinned.

"That's wonderful. Congratulations." Tosh said excitedly and pulled them each into a hug.

"Finally said yes then Gwen?" Ianto smiled as he hugged her and shook Owen's hand.

"You knew Owen had asked?" Tosh asked.

"I was there when he proposed." Ianto told her a little smugly.

"Yeah kind of embarrassing to be turned down in front of someone else." Owen said.

"Hey, I didn't turn you down in front of Ianto. I dragged you into my room to turn you down." She reminded him. "But anyway, I said yes this morning."

"Getting married. Wow. Sure you'll be able to stay faithful to one woman Owen?" Jack asked.

Tosh and Ianto stared at their Captain in shock while Owen and Gwen glared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Owen demanded as he took a step towards Jack.

"Come on, we all know your past record." Jack said. "When was the last time you were in a long term relationship?"

"You've got room to talk Jack." Owen shot back. "Do you honestly think I'd be unfaithful? I love Gwen more than I've ever loved anyone. More than Diane...more than Katie. Gwen and our baby are my life now and I would never do anything to hurt them. But what about you Jack? When was the last time you told someone you loved them? You probably murmured it few times to get them into bed maybe but when was the last time you actually meant it? When was the last time you gave someone your heart and soul like I have Gwen? You're so fucking hypocritical."

"Owen, calm down." Gwen said as she held onto his arm. "Don't listen to him. I trust you and that's all that matters."

"Oh Gwen, like your record's so clean." Jack laughed. "Weren't you sleeping with Owen behind your boyfriend's back?"

Something in Gwen snapped and she lunged for him. Owen grabbed her and pulled her against his chest as she tried to break away.

"Leave it, he's not worth it." Owen told her. "Come on, you need to calm down. It's not good for you to get stressed in your condition. Think of the baby." Gwen looked into his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Ok. Let's just sit down."

Owen led Gwen over to the sofa and sat down with her, his arm wrapped round her. She closed her eyes and leant into him.

"Jack, maybe you should just get some air." Tosh told him.

Jack looked around at his team. Tosh was staring at him coldly while Gwen and Owen's eyes were filled with hatred. Ianto's gaze was fixed on the floor and he refused to look at Jack. The Captain hung his head in guilt and sadness as he turned and disappeared into his office.

"What's his fucking problem?" Owen muttered.

"Owen, just leave it." Gwen said quietly. He sighed as he rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head, his free hand resting on her bump. Tosh and Ianto glanced at each other before walking away from the scene. Gwen suddenly shifted so she was straddling his lap. "Anyway, let's not let anything spoil our morning."

She rolled her hips against his as she started to kiss down his neck. Owen looked around helplessly. It wasn't that he didn't like what she was doing or that he didn't want to, it was just that he was finding it hard to keep up. Gwen had tired him out that morning and it wasn't as easy for him to recover and be ready again as it was for her.

He gently pushed her away and held her chin between his fingers.

"Gwen, as amazing as that is, I don't think this is the time or the place." He told her.

"That's what makes it exciting." She breathed as she rocked her hips again. "But if you want, we could go somewhere a little more private."

"Maybe later I...have some work to be getting on with. Highly important work." He lied.

"Oh." She pouted. She climbed out of his lap onto the sofa beside him and he went to stand up. "Wait. Before you go..." Gwen held his face in her hands and captured his lips in a kiss. It was tender and sweet unlike all the fiery, passionate kisses they'd shared that morning. She pulled away and smiled. "I love you."

"Love you too." He smiled back.

He pecked her on the lips one last time before disappearing into the autopsy bay. Gwen watched him go with a fond smile then looked down at the ring on her finger. She let out an excited giggle at the idea of her becoming Mrs Harper.

Gwen sighed as she sat back on the little sofa. Although she wasn't that far gone yet, her feet ached and she had to kick her shoes off. Pulling her feet up beside her, she yawned and suddenly realised how tired she was. Within minutes she was asleep, her hands resting on her stomach.

Owen was making himself busy in the autopsy bay, going through all his old chemical solutions and throwing away any that were no good and writing a list of what he needed more of. He heard footsteps step out onto the balcony and he turned quickly to find Ianto watching him.

"Just thought you'd like to know that your fiancée is asleep." Ianto informed him.

"Oh thank God." Owen breathed in relief. "I mean, I love her to bits and it's great when she's in the mood – it's really great – but she hasn't stopped all morning. I..." Owen looked around before leaning closer to whisper. "I'm finding it hard to walk."

"Nice." Ianto cringed. "Thanks for that. Anyway, I also came to tell you that...someone wants to apologise."

"Oh they do, do they?" Owen asked as he threw the pen he was holding onto his metal tray. "Well it had better be good."

He followed Ianto to Jack's office then the younger man left them alone, closing the door behind him. Owen fixed Jack with an icy stare and the two looked at each other in silence.

"Owen...I'm sorry." Jack said quietly. "What I said was uncalled for and I shouldn't have said it. I...I don't know why I did."

"I do. You love Gwen." Owen said simply.

"What?" Jack laughed nervously.

"Oh come on Jack, I'm not blind. I know she has feelings for you too." Owen sighed.

"Alright." Jack whispered. "I admit. I do have...feelings – tiny feelings – for Gwen and it has been hard for me these past couple of weeks. I guess you getting engaged really...made it final. Now I really do have to start...getting over those feelings."

"Yes, you do." Owen nodded but he said it with a small, kind smile.

"I'm truly sorry." Jack said. "And I want to congratulate you on getting engaged. I can't think of two people more suited for each other than you and Gwen."

"Thank you Jack." Owen replied. "And you have to know that I'd never be unfaithful to Gwen. I love her so much and I could never hurt her."

"I know." Jack nodded.

"And...I'm sorry about what I said too. That was uncalled for too." Owen apologised.

"It's ok." Jack reassured him.

"Right." Owen nodded. "Well...you're not off the hook yet Harkness. You still have to apologise to Gwen too but -" Owen glanced out of the window at a sleeping Gwen. "Wait until she wakes up first. You do not want to mess with her when she's tired."

"I'll wait until you give me the all clear." Jack chuckled. Owen laughed along with him. When their laughter died, Jack held out his hand and Owen glanced at it before he shook it. "Seriously, congratulations. After everything that's happened to you in the past, you deserve this happiness."

Owen nodded then left Jack's office. He stepped quietly over to the little sofa and gently lowered himself onto it beside Gwen to watch her sleeping. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and ran his thumb across her cheek. A small smile spread across her face and she let out a little sigh. He smiled and placed one hand over her swollen stomach while he carefully leant in to brush his lips against her cheek. He settled himself into a comfortable position beside her, keeping his hand on her stomach to watch her sleep.

Gwen opened her eyes and looked around her in confusion. She was completely alone and something was wrong, she could just sense it.

It was darker than usual and she noticed that some of the lights were out. The ones left on flickered causing shadows to dance around her. It was deathly silent as she stood up off the little sofa and took a step forward. Not even the machines made their usual humming noises. Everything was still and silent.

Wait. Not silent. A cry. A baby's cry, panicked and frightened. Gwen whipped around to find the source while her hands flew to her stomach. Instead of feeling the roundness of her baby bump, she felt flatness and she knew at once it was her baby crying.

She ran in the direction of the crying and found it led deep into the cells. One of the cell doors was open and she realised it was one of the cells they kept the weevils in.

The crying stopped suddenly as Gwen took a shaky step to the entrance of the cell. The weevil was crouched in the far corner with it's back to her. It's head was bowed as it attacked something with it's teeth. Gwen stepped further into the cell and the weevil whipped around upon hearing her footsteps, growling at her. It's teeth were covered in blood and when she looked down, she saw the weevil was clutching a tattered and bloodied blanket.

"No." Gwen gasped. She ripped the blanket from the weevil's hands as tears streamed down her face and she screamed. "No!" The weevil continued to growl and hiss at her as her knees gave way and she fell to the floor. She clutched the blanket to her face, covering herself in blood. Huge sobs shook through her. "No, no, no." She looked the weevil in the eye and saw it was about to attack. Face set in a determined expression, she waited for the end to come. Her baby was dead. She had nothing to live for now. All too late, one person's face filled her mind as the weevil pounced. She screamed their name before darkness swallowed her. "Owen!"

Her eyes snapped open and she found Owen clutching her arms tightly as she thrashed around. She lunged at him, breaking free from his grasp to throw her arms around his neck and climb onto his lap. She sobbed into his shoulder as he held her and ran his hand through her hair.

"Gwen, it's alright, it was just a dream. Everything's ok." He whispered soothingly.

"The weevil – it killed our baby." She sobbed. "I tried to get there but I was too late."

"It's ok, it wasn't real. It was just a dream. The baby's fine." He reassured her. "And when our little boy or girl is born, we'll do our damned hardest to protect them and keep them safe. Nothing's going to happen, I'll make sure of that. Forget that silly dream ok? It wasn't real and it's not going to happen. Everything's fine."

Owen held her until her sobs quietened and she pulled back to look into his eyes. He wiped away her tears and she leant into his touch.

"I love you." She said quietly.

"I love you too sweetheart." He replied and kissed her gently.

When they broke away, she smiled and ran her thumb across his cheek.

"Owen...about the sex." She said.

"Oh Gwen, no more please." He begged. "I can't take any more. I'll be out of action for a while now."

"Not that sex." She laughed. "The sex of the baby. I want to know."

"Me too." Owen nodded. "Shall we take a look?"

"Now?" She asked. He nodded again and she grinned. "Ok."

She climbed out of his lap and grabbed his hands to pull him up. He led her down into the autopsy bay and pulled the scanner over. Gwen pulled herself up onto the table and shifted to get comfortable. They smiled at each other with nervous excitement as Owen pulled back her t-shirt to reveal her rounded stomach.

"You sure you want to know?" Owen asked as he prepared her and held the scanner over her stomach. She nodded quickly and he nodded back. "Alright." The projection on the wall showed a tiny little baby inside her stomach and Gwen felt her heart skip a beat as she did every time she saw their child. She looked at Owen and saw him smiling proudly at the projection. "Right, let's see shall we?" He moved the scanner around slightly. "We are expecting...a little girl. Look at her. Our daughter. Let's get her little heartbeat up."

Owen pressed a few buttons on the machine and the room was filled with the sound of the baby's thumping heart. Gwen grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight as they stared in awe at their baby. She glanced at him and smiled.

"Owen, are you crying?" She asked.

"No." He lied without taking his eyes off the projection. "You?"

"No." She lied back. They both looked at each other and laughed. She took his hands and placed them on her stomach. "Our little girl."

"I reckon she'll look just like you. She's going to be gorgeous." He smiled. She held his face in her hands as he brushed a hair behind her ear. They wiped away each other's tears as their lips met in a loving kiss. When they pulled away, Owen brushed his nose with hers and looked deep into her eyes. "I swear to you, I will do whatever it takes to protect the two most important girls in my life and I will do anything for you."

"And I'd do anything for you too." She told him. "And our daughter. We'll both protect her and each other. I'm a ninja with guns remember."

Owen chuckled and kissed her again. They turned to watch their little girl as she moved her hand ever so slightly.

"I could watch her all day." Owen whispered.

"Me too." Gwen agreed.

Footsteps wandered out onto the balcony and they looked up to see Jack watching the projection too.

"Do we know what we're having?" He asked.

"What Owen and I are having." Gwen corrected coldly as she glared at him then turned away.

The Captain looked down at his shoes sadly then at Owen. Owen raised an eyebrow and shrugged as if to say 'were you seriously expecting anything different?'

"Anyway, Captain, meet our little girl." Owen said and smiled at the projection.

"A baby girl? That's great. Congratulations. That's amazing." Jack beamed.

"She is." Owen nodded, smiling dreamily then snapped back into action. "Right, let's get a picture shall we?" Gwen giggled as he pressed more buttons and took a picture. He printed off a couple of copies and winked at her. "I'm hoping if we send your parents one they'll come around."

"Maybe." Gwen shrugged. "My mother always softens at the mention of babies...usually."

"You mean when it's planned between a couple not an accident with a lover behind your partner's back." Owen laughed.

"Yeah..." Gwen mumbled. "But this is her first grandchild so you never know."

Owen shrugged then caught her lips in a sweet kiss. He looked between Jack and Gwen before starting to head out.

"I'll leave you two to talk." He said. "Meanwhile, I'm going to find Tosh and Ianto and show off my daughter to them."

Gwen looked like she was about to protest but he left before she could say anything. She sighed and slumped her shoulders. She adjusted her clothes and swung her legs over the edge of the table. As she hopped down and stood up, she looked up at Jack and folded her arms.

"So what does my fiancé expect us to talk about?" She asked.

"Gwen...I'm here to apologise." He told her.

"Oh this had better be good." She laughed bitterly. "It's going to take a lot to make me forgive you for trying to ruin one of the best days of my life."

"I am truly sorry for what I said. It was rude and inappropriate and callous." He said.

"It was." She nodded.

"It shouldn't have been said. I was just...jealous." He explained. "My own feelings got in the way and instead of being happy for you, I was only thinking about myself. But you should know that I am more than happy for you two and I wish you all the best. I couldn't think of two people more perfect for each other than you and Owen. I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me."

Gwen stood staring at him stubbornly before she sighed and gestured for him to come over.

"Oh come here." She sighed. Jack stepped down into the autopsy bay and she hugged him. "Of course I'll bloody forgive you. I couldn't stay mad at you even when you run off on us. It's bloody annoying."

"It's because you love me." Jack grinned. Gwen rolled her eyes and smiled. A few moments of silence passed before Jack took hold of her hand. "Come on." He led her out of the autopsy bay to where Owen was stood at his computer. The younger man raised his eyebrow as Jack took hold of his hand. Jack smiled at them both before placing Gwen's hand in Owen's. The couple gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as he stepped back. "I wish you both the best and good luck for the future. Now go on, get out of here."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"Take the day off. Celebrate your engagement." Jack told them.

"Are you serious?" Owen laughed in disbelief.

"Yeah. Go. What are you still doing here?" He grinned.

Owen and Gwen looked at each other and smiled.

"Thanks Jack." Gwen said and gave him another quick hug.

She took hold of Owen's hand and they ran out of the Hub together. Jack chuckled fondly as he watched them go then turned to watch his favourite Welsh man collecting cups. His expression turned thoughtful as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Ianto. What are your thoughts on marriage?" He asked and walked over.


	7. Chapter 7

When Gwen and Owen entered their new home, Owen twirled her around and spun her into his chest. Their lips met in a loving kiss and they smiled as they broke apart.

"Go upstairs, get changed into something girly – and sexy." Owen winked. "Because I'm taking you out for drinks to celebrate."

"Owen, I'm pregnant. I can't drink." She reminded him. "And I'm not sitting there drinking orange juice while you have a pint."

"Don't worry. We'll have a glass of non-alcoholic wine to toast our engagement and then we'll both stick to non-alcoholic drinks." He told her. "I just want to go out there and celebrate, let everyone know that I'm engaged to the most beautiful, amazing woman who also happens to be carrying my little girl."

Gwen grinned as she ran her hand over her stomach.

"Give me fifteen minutes." She said and pecked him on the lips before she hurried to get changed.

As Owen waited, he looked at his appearance in the hallway mirror. Maybe he should change his shirt. He didn't want to look scruffy with Gwen looking so glamorous and beautiful at his side.

When he entered their bedroom, he found Gwen in her black, lacy underwear holding two dresses up in her hands. She held them both up to her in turn then held them out again.

"Stop right there, that looks perfect. Definitely that outfit." Owen said.

She turned to see him pointing at her and laughed as she shook her head.

"I am not going out in my underwear." She giggled.

"Why not? It's girly." Owen said as he stood in front of her and hooked his fingers under her bra straps at her shoulders. He slowly pulled them down so he could kiss her bare shoulders. "And incredibly sexy."

She laughed as she gently pushed him away.

"No, Owen." She replied.

He pouted and put her straps back in place.

"Spoilsport." He pouted and gave her a quick kiss.

Gwen smiled as she turned to look at herself in the mirror and held up each of the dresses again.

"Which one do you think? This one?" She asked as she showed him the deep red, knee length dress that tied around the neck. She swapped it for the black, strapless, knee length dress. It had a thick band just under her bust that would also emphasise her baby bump. "Or this one?"

"The black one." Owen answered.

"Was hoping you'd pick that one. Good choice." She grinned.

They arrived at the bar and Owen ordered them each a glass of non-alcoholic wine. When they received their drinks, he linked their arms together as they raised their glasses.

"To us on our engagement and to our precious baby girl." He toasted. Gwen smiled as they clinked their glasses and sipped their drinks. They shared a kiss before pulling away. Owen placed his drink on the bar so he could put both hands over her stomach. "Oh I hope these last five months go quick. I can not wait to meet our little princess."

Gwen smiled fondly at him as she leant in to capture his lips once again.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you more." He breathed.

"Impossible." She murmured against his lips.

They kissed once more before they pulled away and sat back to enjoy their drinks. Owen's arm wrapped around her waist and she leant into him.

Just as Gwen was finishing her second glass of orange juice, her mobile vibrated in her bag. She sighed as she untangled herself from Owen's arms to answer it.

"If that's Jack, tell him to piss off. He told us to celebrate our engagement." Owen grumbled.

"It's not Jack, it's my mother." She sighed. "I'll be right back honey." She pecked him on the lips and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hey mum. Mum, calm down. No you're not leaving dad. Look – calm down. Tell me what happened."

Owen laughed as he watched her walk out to escape the noise of the bar. He watched the way she dodged in and out of tables and people, protecting her precious load.

He waited impatiently for her to return and kept checking the time on his phone. She'd been gone forty-five minutes and he was starting to get slightly annoyed. It seemed like the couple couldn't do anything without getting interrupted by work or parents or something else that came along. He sighed as he sipped his coke.

Two young girls suddenly slipped into the seats either side of him. He rolled his eyes as he looked down at his glass and ignored them. One of the girls put their hand on his arm and leant in close.

"Me and my friend think you're gorgeous." She said.

"Drop dead gorgeous." The other girl agreed as she copied her friend's actions.

"Really?" Owen asked casually.

"Totally." The first girl whispered in his ear. "We couldn't decide which of us got to have you so we decided you could have us both." Owen smirked as he turned around and leant back on the bar. He looked at each of the girls in turn and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to them. "So, you going to buy us a drink first?"

Owen looked up and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on enter the building. She gave him her most dazzling smile and he felt himself melt. Gwen made her way slowly towards him.

"Sorry ladies but I'm spoken for this evening and for every evening for the rest of my life." He told them as he pushed himself away from the bar. He met Gwen halfway and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled as their lips met in a kiss. "My angel is finally back." Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she smiled shyly. "Everything sorted?"

"Yeah, everything's fine now. No one's leaving. Honestly, you don't even want to know the stupid things my parents fight over." Gwen sighed. She draped one arm over his shoulder and played with the front of his shirt with the other. As she glanced behind Owen, she noticed two women glaring jealously at her. "Why are those two women staring daggers at me?"

Owen glanced over his shoulder and laughed.

"They were trying it on with me but I turned them down." He told her. "I've already got the most amazing woman and everything I could ever wish for."

"You are adorable." Gwen replied dreamily. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, my darling wife to be." He replied. Gwen giggled and the baby kicked as if to remind them she was still there. Owen had felt the kick through his own stomach as they were pressed together. He chuckled and placed his hand over her bump. "I love you too princess."

"I think she's telling me to get some food." Gwen laughed. "I am a little hungry."

"Let's go home." Owen said.

He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She smiled as she linked her fingers through his and they left the bar together.

"Can we stop at the nearest pizza place? I think our usual is closer. They do the best meat feast, I could just do with one. Oh and fries – and those chicken wings they do. Oh and those potato wedge things, they are gorgeous." Gwen said.

"And you're only a little hungry?" Owen laughed.

"Hey, I'm eating for two now." She defended.

"I know, I know. I'm just laughing because I find it cute." He told her. She raised an eyebrow as if she didn't believe him and he made his eyes look big and innocent. "Love you sweetie."

She softened and rolled her eyes.

"I love you too." She sighed. "You know I can never stay mad at you when you say that."

"You could never stay mad at me, you love me too much." He replied.

Gwen couldn't help but giggle and she leant her head on his shoulder as they walked towards his car. He opened her door for her and closed it once she was inside.

She stayed in the car while Owen popped into the local pizza place and ordered their meal. Her eyes widened when he returned with his arms full.

"Bloody hell Owen, how much?" She gasped as he placed it on her knee.

"Well, you're eating for two, I'm starving, no doubt by the time we get home you'll have thought of something else you want so I bought a bit of everything I know you like." He shrugged.

"Owen we could feed the team for a week with all this." She said.

"Whatever we don't eat we could have tomorrow and we could take any leftovers to the Hub." He replied.

Gwen looked at the food and breathed in it's enticing smell causing her stomach to growl.

"There might not be any leftovers yet." She said quietly.

Owen chuckled as she rummaged through the many bags and pulled out the fries. He reached across and grabbed some earning a playful slap on the hand from Gwen.

Once they'd finished their meal, they made their way to their bedroom to get ready for bed. Gwen lay back on the bed, placing one hand on her bump and the other above her head, closing her eyes as she smiled in contentment. She felt the bed dip beside her as Owen joined her. His warm body pressed into her side as he slipped one arm over her stomach and leant in to capture her lips in a kiss. Gwen opened her eyes as he pulled away and she brought her hand down to cup his face.

"Do you...erm...are you still...you know, is the baby still making you..?" He asked.

Gwen thought about it then shook her head.

"No." She answered.

"Oh." Owen said and started to pull back in disappointment.

She grabbed onto him and pulled him back.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to." She smirked. Owen grinned as he attacked her neck with his teeth. He gently rolled so he was on top of her and her arms went around his neck. "I thought you said you'd be out of action for a while."

"I've got enough strength for one more time." He breathed against her neck. Gwen shivered as she felt his hot breath against her skin and his lips trailed kisses of fire. Her breath shook as his fingers slowly popped open the buttons on her pyjama top. She ran her hands over his bare chest, grateful that he never wore a top to bed. He turned his attention to the bare skin he revealed as he slowly nudged her top open. Sliding one hand beneath her, he gently lifted her up to slide the shirt off her shoulders. Their eyes were locked as they slowly and lovingly removed their remaining clothes. Owen hovered over her and gazed into her eyes. "I love you Gwen Cooper. I can't wait to have this baby with you and I can't wait to make you my wife. I promise to always love you and that I'll look after my two beautiful girls. I will always be -"

Gwen silenced him by pressing her finger to his lips.

"Save something for the wedding." She giggled. "And Owen Harper, I love you now and forever."

Their lips met and their tongues danced around each other. Owen pulled back so could look into her eyes as their bodies connected to become one.

Gwen let out a soft gasp as her heart began pounding in her chest. The way Owen looked at her and touched her and kissed her made her feel special and loved. She poured all her love into every kiss and caress and prayed he'd feel just as special as she did.

She didn't have to worry as Owen just wanted to drown in the look in Gwen's eyes. They were like deep green pools of love. He leant in and captured her lips in a kiss, swallowing her gasps and quiet moans.

A while later, Gwen snuggled into his side as Owen played with their clasped hands on his chest. His other arm was wrapped around her and rubbing small circles on her back. Gwen looked up at the ceiling as her mind started to wander.

"Owen...those two women at the bar..." She said.

"What about them?" He asked.

"Were you...tempted?" She asked nervously.

Owen let go of her hand and placed his finger under her chin to tilt her face to look at him.

"No, I wasn't." He answered sincerely. "I love you and you are the only woman I want. I'm not interested in other women. You are more beautiful, more amazing, funnier, kinder and sweeter than any other woman I have ever met and will most likely meet. Those girls could have offered me anything in the world and I still would have said no because I have everything I want..." He held her tighter and ran his thumb across her cheek. "Right here, already."

"You really mean that?" She enquired hopefully. Owen nodded and smiled. "So you wouldn't leave me if someone prettier and younger came along?"

"I told you, no one's prettier than you." He replied. "And I could never, ever leave you. I love you more than words can say. But I can say this, I never believed in soul mates until I met you."

Gwen smiled and kissed him. She yawned as she snuggled back down and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, darling." She whispered. Her hand wandered to her stomach and her smile grew. "Night little one."

Owen kissed the top of Gwen's head and moved his hand to join hers.

"Goodnight sweetheart. Goodnight my little princess." He said.

Gwen giggled then yawned again. Moments later, she was asleep and Owen lay listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing. With the most wonderful woman lying in his arms, he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

Three weeks later the Torchwood team were investigating a series of unexplained deaths. None of them could understand why Jack had put them on the case. He'd just said that a reliable source was also investigating and they'd agreed to work together.

One drizzly night in Cardiff, Jack and Tosh stood on the balcony of the autopsy bay with Gwen sat on one of the steps cradling her bump as they waited for Owen to complete an autopsy on one Meredith Roberts.

"No obvious signs of violence." Owen reported.

"Are we saying it wasn't the weevil?" Gwen asked.

"Give me a chance, Miss Cooper. I've only just started." He smirked.

Gwen chuckled as he shot her a wink. Ianto's voice suddenly sounded from the Hub's intercom system.

"Jack, your VIP visitor is here." He announced.

Jack grinned as he ran from the autopsy bay out into the main area. The others looked at each other in confusion before following, Owen helping Gwen up on the way.

"I didn't realize we were having a visitor." Gwen said as the three team members walked out behind Jack.

The sirens sounded and Tosh, Gwen and Owen glanced at each other in confusion as the gates swung open. Jack grinned as the rolling door began to open.

"Suddenly, in an underground mortuary, on a wet night in Cardiff, I hear the song of a nightingale. Miss Martha Jones." Jack announced as a young woman was revealed in the doorway with Ianto behind her.

She smiled up at Jack and the Captain winked back at her. A few seconds passed before Jack and Martha ran to each other and hugged each other tight. Ianto shuffled past and tried to act as though he was fine with Jack hugging a beautiful young woman and had hidden the fact that they'd been in touch.

"Oh, it's good to see you, Jack." She smiled.

Jack chuckled and turned to the rest of the team, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Ianto, meet Martha." He grinned.

The team smiled and waved, still deeply confused and wondering what the hell was going on.

"Erm, just a casual visit or..?" Owen asked.

"I'm here to complete your post-mortem." She answered and walked past him to the autopsy bay.

Owen looked around, slightly outraged, before hastily following Martha. Gwen hid her face to hide the amused smirk as the rest followed after.

"Doctor Jones is from UNIT." Jack told them.

"What? Since when did we work with those stuck up bastards?" Owen demanded then held his hand out to Martha. "No offence."

Martha raised an eyebrow at him then pointed down at the body.

"Let's just get on with the post mortem shall we?" She said.

Owen continued to sulk as Martha pointed out things he'd missed and his mood wasn't helped when he heard Gwen giggling in the background. He shot her a glare and she tried to stifle her laugh with her hand but he could still hear her spluttering.

When the rest of the team went to check the medical records, Owen stayed behind and started to put his equipment away moodily. Gwen smiled as she stepped down into the room and turned him towards her so she could wrap her arms around his waist.

"What's the matter? Doesn't Owen want to play with the new girl?" Gwen teased.

"It's just...you know." He shrugged. "She's only been here five minutes and she's already acting like she knows better than me. I'd only just started that post mortem, I would have found those things."

"I know you would have." Gwen nodded. "Look, she's just here to help out. Something about this case has obviously got Jack worried so he's called in for an extra pair of hands."

"I think he wants to replace me." Owen said.

"And why would he want to do that?" Gwen laughed.

"He's jealous." He replied.

"Of what exactly?" She asked.

"Well...I got the girl." Owen answered as he rested his hands on her hips. "The girl we've both been dreaming of forever." Gwen blushed and looked away. "We're getting married and we're starting a family together...and he's jealous of that."

"Owen, you know that's not true. He's not replacing you because he's jealous – he's not replacing you at all. Martha's just here to help." Gwen reassured him. "So be nice to her and come and make friends. I like her."

"Ok, I'll be nice. For you." He smiled.

Gwen smiled and kissed him before leading him out of the autopsy bay to the others.

They quickly caught up with the situation and Jack set them all on their own little tasks. Gwen and Jack took Martha around the Hub for a quick tour and the Welsh woman found herself growing fond of her. When Jack went ahead, the two women were left in the hot house and Gwen turned to Martha.

"So, you know Jack pretty well, then?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, we were only together for...a few days. But it was pretty intense." Martha shrugged casually.

Gwen's eyes grew wider and she gasped.

"You mean..?" She whispered.

"Oh, God, no! No, not that sort of intense. Nothing like that. Why? Are you and him..?" Martha replied. "Because I thought you and..." Martha pointed to Gwen's bump then out of the window towards Owen. "Did I assume wrong? I'm sorry I -"

"No, no, you were right, this little one's Owen's. Our little girl." Gwen smiled as she rubbed her stomach. "We're engaged. Me and Jack...we never...no it's never been...like that."

"We must be the only two people on the planet." Martha laughed.

"I know. " Gwen sighed as she looked out of the window at Jack. She suddenly realised what she was doing and quickly turned back to Martha, her cheeks tinged red. "We should erm...get back to Jack."

She left the hot house in a hurry with Martha following and struggling to catch up. Gwen was surprisingly quick on her feet for a pregnant woman. She shot past Jack and walked over to Owen, surprising him by pulling him into a passionate embrace. Jack raised an eyebrow at them and turned to Martha.

"Are you upsetting my staff already?" He joked.

"I've not said a word." She told him. "I mean...I don't think I have..."

Jack chuckled as he led her into his office.

When Gwen finally pulled away, Owen stared at her, dazed.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"I was just showing my love and affection for you." She answered. "Is that ok with you?"

"It's absolutely fine." He nodded quickly.

"Good. Ok, we have work to be getting on with." She said and walked away.

Owen watched her go then looked at Tosh who had been watching the scene. Her eyebrows were raised and he shrugged.

"Don't ask me. But I can tell you that being pregnant has really effected her hormones and her emotions." He told her. "The other day, she made herself a cup of tea and she was rushing around because we were a little late. Boy was she annoyed at that. Next thing I know, she's crying for an hour because she'd put her tea down somewhere and she couldn't remember where she'd put it. I'm telling you, these mood swings are driving me crazy."

"Yeah but you love it." Tosh smiled. "You can't wait for this baby to arrive."

"No I can't." Owen grinned. "I'm going to be a daddy."

Tosh laughed and smiled fondly at him as he continued to grin like the Cheshire cat.

Jack and Martha joined them moments later and Gwen wandered over to stand beside Owen. He smiled as he looked down at where her hand rested on her bump and she smiled back. She reached for one of his hands and held it tight in hers.

When Martha took an interest in the singularity scalpel, Owen was reluctant to let go of Gwen's hand but he couldn't resist showing off. He missed the jealousy that flashed across her face as he turned his attention to Martha.

Gwen's jealousy only grew as Owen and Martha spent most of the day together. She knew it was for work reasons but she just couldn't stop her mind from wandering. She'd noticed how well they seemed to be getting along despite their bad introduction and first impressions of each other. Gwen couldn't be certain but she was sure there was a bit of flirting going on between them.

Eventually, the team found that there was one thing linking all the victims together. Each victim had signed up to become a clinical trial patient for a company called the Pharm run by a Professor Aaron Copley. Martha had been sent into the clinic to investigate the so called 'miracle cure' known as Reset. Gwen and Owen were monitoring her progress on the Hub's computers.

Gwen glanced over at Owen as he was making notes.

"You and Martha...you're erm...getting on well." She commented.

"Yeah well...she's alright really." He shrugged, keeping his eyes on his work. "Like you said, she's just here to help. I didn't give her a chance really."

"She's beautiful." Gwen said, watching his reaction closely.

"Not as beautiful as you." He smiled.

"And a doctor." She added, ignoring his remark. "Got a lot in common."

Gwen tried to casually turn her attention back to her computer. Owen looked at her and smirked. He put down his pen, pushed himself out of his chair and walked over to her side. She looked up as he pulled her out of her own chair to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Gwen Cooper are you jealous?" He asked in amusement.

"No. No." She answered quickly. "Why? Do I have reason to be?"

"No of course not." He laughed. He shook his head and rested his forehead against hers, his eyes gazing deep into hers. "I love you and you are the only person I want to be with – well, you and our daughter." Gwen smiled, loving the way it sounded from his lips. "I have no interest in anyone but you. My heart belongs to you, it always has and it always will. I will never, ever leave you and I'm never letting you go. I hope you'll never want to leave me either." Before Gwen could tell him that she'd never leave him and that he meant everything to her, his lips covered hers and she felt her breath being taken from her. His lips were so gentle and loving against hers sending a warm, tingling sensation through her body. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. He pulled away and kept his forehead against hers. "Ok?"

"Yeah." She whispered as she nodded her head.

"Good. I love you." He told her.

"Love you too." She replied. "We should, erm...concentrate on Martha."

"Yeah." Owen nodded.

The couple broke apart and sat back down at their stations. They turned to smile at each other before getting back to their work, Gwen notably more cheerfully than before.

All too soon things started to go wrong and Martha found herself in danger. Jack ordered the team into the SUV and they sped off to her rescue.

When they reached the clinic, Gwen loaded her gun and went to climb out of the SUV with the others. Jack held out his arm and stopped her.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. Where the hell do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"I'm coming with you. We've got to get Martha out of there." Gwen answered.

"In your condition, I don't think so. It's way too dangerous." Jack told her. He held up his hand to silence her protests before they left her lips. "You're staying here with the SUV. Keep it running because we're getting Martha, shutting this place down and getting the hell out of here."

"But that's Ianto's job." She complained then looked at the Welsh man. "No offence."

"None taken." Ianto shrugged.

"Owen, you talk to her." Jack ordered.

Owen nodded and stepped up to take Gwen's hands in his.

"Babe, I agree with Jack. It's too dangerous, anything could happen. I want you and our baby safe. I can't lose either of you. Please Gwen, do as he says." Owen begged and placed his hands over her bump. "Please."

She put her hands over his and nodded.

"Alright, fine. I'll stay here." She said. "But you'd better be bloody careful Owen Harper. I'm warning you, anything happens to you and I will kill you."

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"I promise I'll be careful." He told her.

She pulled him into a desperate kiss then pulled away to look at the others.

"All of you, be careful and just...get Martha out of there." She said.

"We will." Jack nodded. "Let's go guys."

Gwen watched the team as they ran off without her then made her way back to the SUV.

She listened closely over the comms and her heart was racing when she heard what was happening to Martha. Her eyes were closed tight and her fists were clenched to her lips as she prayed they'd save her in time.

It felt like hours before she saw the team running back towards her, Martha being supported by Owen. A breath of relief escaped her lips as she jumped out of the vehicle and ran to them, pulling Martha into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank God you're safe. Are you ok?" Gwen asked.

"I'm fine." Martha smiled weakly. "Thanks to Owen. Saved my life."

"He's a real hero." Gwen grinned.

Owen chuckled and pulled both girls into a hug.

"Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away?" A voice asked from behind them. They turned to see the Professor pointing his gun at Martha. "You've ruined everything I've worked for."

Owen pushed the girls behind him and stepped in front of them. Gwen whipped her gun out of her pocket and aimed it at Copley over Owen's shoulder.

"Now, let's not be stupid. Ok? We're both rational men, scientists." Owen said as he took slow steps towards him. "I know you don't want to shoot."

Copley's finger squeezed the trigger and Gwen screamed as Owen was thrown back. A second shot rang out as the Captain fired his own gun and shot Copley through the head. Gwen dropped to her knees beside Owen, her gun clattering to the floor as she pulled him to lie across her knee. Blood poured through a wound in his chest and Gwen began to sob.

"Owen!" She sobbed. "No."

"Gwen..." He whispered.

He coughed and screwed his eyes shut from the pain. Martha knelt down beside them and examined Owen. Gwen grabbed her wrist and turned her pleading eyes to Martha.

"You have to do something." Gwen told her. "Please don't let him die."

"Gwen..." Owen whispered again. "I...I...love you...and the baby...tell...tell her..."

"No, don't you dare say goodbye." She shouted. "You're not leaving me." Martha tried to peel Owen's shirt back to take a better look but he groaned in pain and Gwen held him tighter. "What are you doing to him? You're hurting him."

"Gwen, he's going to be fine but we need to get him back to the Hub so I can take a better look." Martha told her.

Jack and Ianto stepped forward to lift Owen into the vehicle but Gwen clung to him and shook her head.

"No." She protested.

"We've got to get him into the SUV." Jack said. "We'll be careful, I promise."

Gwen reluctantly let him go and stood up so Jack and Ianto could take him. Her clothes clung to her with Owen's blood and she shook uncontrollably as she watched them place him gently in the back of the SUV. She quickly slid in beside him and took hold of him once more.

As they drove back, Owen struggled to keep his eyes open and he'd cough, blood splattering from his mouth.

"Keep your eyes open sweetheart." She whispered. "Come on. Stay with me darling. Hey, hey you can't leave me, you promised to paint the baby's bedroom." Owen smiled and his eyes drifted shut. She shook him slightly and shook her head. "Owen, open your eyes. Please Owen, open your eyes. I'm not losing you. Owen, come on."

Tears streamed down her face and dripped onto his as she tried desperately to wake him up. The rest of the team watched in silence, fighting back their own tears.

Once they'd got him back to the Hub's medical bay, Martha tried to work but Gwen wasn't going to let him go. Jack stood beside her and tried to gently pull her away.

"Gwen, come on, give Martha some space." He said gently.

"No. I'm not leaving him." She replied stubbornly.

"She can't help him if you don't let him go." Jack told her, a slight firmness in his voice.

"I said I'm not leaving him." She argued. Jack pulled harder and managed to prise her away from Owen. Gwen fought against his grip as he dragged her from the room, her screams ripping through her. "No! Owen! Let me go! Jack, you bastard let me go!"

"Tosh!" Jack called. Gwen stopped fighting and collapsed into fresh sobs against his chest. Toshiko ran over to them, her eyes full of concern as she looked at Gwen. "Get Gwen out of here. Take her to your place, take her home – anywhere, I don't care. Just take her away so Martha can help him."

Tosh nodded and she gently pulled Gwen away from Jack. The Welsh woman leant against her as she led her away.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Tosh said. She led her down to the showers and sat Gwen on the side while she got the water to the right temperature. "Ok, shower's ready, I'll leave you to it. I'll see if I can find some clean clothes for you but if you need me, call and I'll be straight back down. Ok?"

Gwen nodded, her whole body feeling numb. She felt nothing but an empty, black void in her stomach and her heart. Her body seemed to move of it's own accord as her brain felt as though it were shutting down, refusing to let her think about anything. She ignored the water as it turned red with Owen's blood.

When she stepped out of the shower, she found a pile of clean clothes that Tosh had left for her and quickly changed into them. She was still shaking terribly causing her to fumble with her clothes and it took her longer than usual to dress.

Tosh was waiting for her outside the showers and the Welsh woman soon joined her.

"Ianto's making a nice, hot cup of coffee – decaf obviously – so how about we go sit down." Tosh suggested.

Gwen felt herself being led somewhere else and she was sat down in a chair. She had no idea where she was and she could hear Tosh talking to her but her words were just muffled sounds. She was aware of something being pressed into her hand and she looked at it, a few seconds passing before she realised it was the coffee that Ianto made. He was stood beside her, smiling reassuringly, and she mumbled something she hoped was thanks. He left with another smile and a squeeze of her shoulder.

After a while, Gwen suddenly looked up at Tosh and grabbed her arm.

"Please tell me he's going to be ok. Please tell me he's going to make it through this." She begged. "I can't lose him Tosh. I can't live without him. I...I can't..." Fresh tears rolled down her face and her breaths came out in ragged sobs. "I...need him, I...I love him so much...he – he has to make it. He can't leave us!"

She let go of Tosh and hugged her bump, pulling her knees up and curling herself into a ball. Tosh wrapped her arms tight around the shaking woman and gently rocked her.

"He's going to be fine, you'll see. He's not going to leave his fiancée and his daughter, he loves you both so much. Owen's a fighter and I know he's fighting right now to stay with you both." Tosh reassured her. Listening to Gwen sobbing her heart out was breaking Tosh's own heart. She could feel tears slowly creeping down her cheeks as she prayed for Owen to be ok. Martha appeared, her expression grim and Tosh felt her stomach drop. "Martha?"

Gwen's head snapped up at the mention of Martha's name. She pulled out of Tosh's grasp and ran over to the young medic.

"Martha, what's happened? Oh God, please...no!" Gwen sobbed.

Martha took hold of Gwen's arms as the Welsh woman almost collapsed to her knees.


	8. Chapter 8

"Gwen, he's fine." Martha said. "He's ok. He's resting."

"He's...he's ok?" Gwen whispered. Martha smiled and nodded and Gwen let out a breath of relief and hugged her tight. "Oh thank God. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I reckon he'll need a few weeks at the most at home just resting. He was hit quite bad." Martha told her. "But he's fine now, I promise."

"Can I see him?" Gwen asked.

Martha smiled and nodded. She led the way down to the room Owen was in and when they reached the doorway, Martha gestured for Gwen to go inside. Gwen ran in and saw Jack sitting beside the younger man's bed holding his hand. The Captain stood up as Gwen slowly walked over.

"There's nothing going on, I swear." Jack joked.

Gwen laughed despite her tears but she never took her eyes off Owen. His shirt had been removed and a clean bandage had been placed over his wound. Martha had cleaned him up as best as she could and he looked as though he was just sleeping.

She forced herself not to think about how she'd almost lost him and to focus on helping him get better.

As she took the hand Jack had abandoned, Jack and Martha slipped out quietly to give them some privacy. Gwen sat down in the chair and ran her free hand through his hair. She leant over him and gently kissed his lips. She heard his breathing falter and he twitched beneath her. Quickly pulling back, she watched Owen's eyes flutter open. His blurry eyes searched the room until he found her. He groaned as he tried to move himself to see her better and she quickly stilled him.

"Whoah, take it steady." She said.

"Did he hurt you? He didn't touch you did he?" Owen demanded. "Are you ok?"

"I am now you are." She smiled through fresh tears. "God, I thought I'd lost you."

"No chance." Owen whispered.

"I love you." She told him. "I was so -" Gwen suddenly doubled over as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Ah!"

"Gwen!" Owen shouted and groaned in pain. She clutched at her stomach and screwed her eyes shut. He struggled to sit up but when she saw him, she shook her head and tried to push him back down. "Martha! Martha get down here!" Martha and Jack came running back into the room, their eyes wide as they looked around the room. "It's Gwen, there's something wrong with the baby."

"Jack, I need you to move Gwen over to the other bed then go and fetch me the scanner." Martha ordered. Gwen's panic rose as Jack picked her up and carried her over to the bed. As he ran out of the room to fetch the scanner, Martha caught hold of Gwen's arms as she rolled around on the bed. "Gwen, I need you to calm down for me. Come on, take deep breaths. Everything's going to be fine, I promise." She looked up as she felt someone stand beside her and found Owen. "What are you doing out of bed? You need to rest."

"I don't care. My fiancée and my daughter need me." He snapped. He pushed Martha's hands away from Gwen and replaced them with his own. "Come on babe, do as she says. Take deep breaths."

"Owen, what's wrong? What's happening?" Gwen sobbed. "What's wrong with our little girl?"

"Nothing's wrong, I promise you, alright." He told her. "Ok, try and keep calm for me." Gwen closed her eyes and took deep breaths. "That's it, good girl."

He kissed both her hands as she continued to breath deeply. Soon, her breathing was almost back to normal but when she looked back at Owen, her eyes were still full of fright. The pain had subsided and she was able to lie fairly comfortably.

Jack ran into the room pulling the scanner with him. Martha quickly set up the scanner and Owen held Gwen's hand tight as she pressed the probe to her stomach. The image of their baby appeared on screen and Martha checked her from every angle.

"She's absolutely fine." Martha told them. "Heartbeat's a little faster than usual but it is slowly returning to normal." She checked the baby thoroughly but found nothing to cause concern. She put the probe down and proceeded to take Gwen's blood pressure. "Your blood pressure's high but that's not surprising. You've been under a lot of stress today and you've been all worked up. My medical opinion is that the stress levels became too much for the baby and she too got distressed. She's fine now though but I do want to monitor her over the next couple of days. I'm recommending you and Owen take a couple of days off together to relax and to recover."

"She's really ok?" Gwen asked.

"She's perfectly healthy." Martha smiled. Gwen turned to Owen and smiled in relief. He squeezed her hand and crushed his lips onto hers. He groaned at the sudden movement and Gwen looked at him in concern. Martha gave him a disapproving look and started to pull him away to his own bed. "Alright you, back to bed." She said. "That's enough excitement for you both today. I want you both resting and focusing on getting better."

Owen looked over at Gwen and smirked as he lay back down.

"Hmm...the two of us forced to stay in bed for a few days...I like the sound of that." He grinned.

Gwen laughed and shook her head. Martha tried to remain serious but she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips.

"Well, Gwen only has to stay in bed a few days. You, Owen, I'm suggesting a little longer." She told them. She checked them both over one last time before she was completely satisfied and nodded. "Right, I'll visit you both at home tomorrow and see how you're doing. Take it easy."

She left them alone and Gwen pulled herself up into a sitting position. She cradled her bump as her and Owen's eyes met in a loving gaze. No matter how hard she tried, Gwen couldn't stop thinking about how close she'd come to losing him and he could see it in her eyes. He couldn't bear to see her looking at him like that and he swallowed before standing up. Gwen's eyes widened as he walked over and lowered himself onto her bed.

"What are you doing? Martha said you should be resting." She said.

Owen lay down and pulled Gwen with him, careful to pull her down to his uninjured side. He wrapped his arms tight around her and buried his face in her hair. His eyes slid shut as he breathed in her scent.

"I love you." He whispered.

Gwen pulled back slightly to look into his eyes and held his face in her hand.

"I love you too sweetheart." She told him.

She caught his lips in a kiss and smiled as they broke away. She started to lie back down when her hand flew to her stomach and she gasped.

"Gwen, what's wrong? Do you want me to get Martha back? The baby – what's wrong?" Owen asked.

"She's fine, she's just moving around in there. She just...caught me off guard." Gwen reassured him then looked down at her stomach. "What are you doing in there? Back flips?"

"She's paying you back for all the discomfort you caused her." Owen chuckled.

Gwen laughed but it soon died as she looked at the bandage on his chest. She ran her fingers over the edge of it and shivered as she pictured the wound underneath.

"How's the pain?" She asked.

"It's bearable." He answered honestly. "Martha gave me some of the strong painkillers but I can still feel it. It's only going to get worse as they start to wear off so I'll have to keep topping myself up." Gwen gazed at him sadly, hating the fact that there was nothing she could do to take the pain away. He suddenly yawned and let his eyes slide shut. "Boy, they don't half make you drowsy. I think...I think I'll just have a little nap."

Gwen rolled onto her side and leant herself up on her elbow so she could watch him drift off. She kissed his lips and ran her hand through his hair causing a soft sigh to escape his lips and a small smile to spread across his face.

When Martha came to check on them a few hours later, she frowned disapprovingly when she found Owen in Gwen's bed but after a few seconds, she couldn't help but smile. Gwen was sitting up with Owen lying, still fast asleep, in her lap.

"How are my three favourite patients?" Martha whispered.

"Well, me and the little one are fine and...as you can see..." Gwen smiled as she looked down at her fiancé. "Owen's completely out of it, bless him."

"I'll wait for him to wake up before I carry out any checks." Martha replied. "I'll let him rest. And how about you? Any more pains or twinges?"

"No, the pain's gone now." Gwen answered and ran her hand across her stomach. "But she's been moving around a lot in there. Haven't you sweetheart? Yes, you have."

Martha smiled fondly as she watched the interaction between Gwen and her unborn child.

"You thought of any names?" Martha enquired.

"Well, I really like the name Martha as it's the name of the truly amazing doctor who saved my fiancé's life." Gwen smiled. Martha blushed and giggled shyly. "Other than that, we haven't really talked about it yet. I have been thinking about it though. I like Lily. Lily Harper."

"Who's Lily Harper?" Owen's tired voice mumbled.

He sat up slowly, grimacing as he clutched his chest with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other.

"Honey, are you ok?" Gwen panicked.

"Fine, I'm fine." Owen answered, waving off her concern. "I just need to be more careful with how I move myself. Anyway, who's this Lily Harper?"

"Well, Martha asked if we'd thought of any names for the baby and I said I like the name Lily." Gwen explained.

"How come you never spoke to me about this?" Owen asked.

Martha sensed an awkward moment and quickly left the room.

"I don't know." Gwen shrugged. "None of us have really mentioned baby names until now."

"But you've been thinking about it. You should have said something, I want to know these things. I am the father." He told her.

"I know, I'm sorry I just didn't think." She replied. "I promise I'll tell you in future."

"Good." He smiled. He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his hand on her bump. "So, Lily?"

"Yeah, it just...came to me. I've just...got this feeling." She told him. "Have you thought of any names?"

"I have been thinking too but nothing's really stood out for me." He replied. "And I always thought it was better to wait until the baby was born before you decided. I mean, you could choose a name but when you hold the baby in your arms, it just doesn't feel right. In my head, I always pictured us holding our little girl and we'd gaze down at her and we'd just...know. The right name would just come to us. I like Lily though, I think we should definitely keep that in mind and..." Owen's hand gently rubbed her stomach. "I think she might very well be a Lily."

"Really?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah. Like you said, I've got this feeling. It's like she's sending out this message, you know. 'Hi mum and dad, I'm your daughter Lily.' Something like that." He said.

Gwen smiled and looked down at where his hand was resting.

"Well hello there Lily." She smiled. "We can't wait to meet you but erm...when you do decide to come, let's try and keep the pain to a minimum shall we?"

Owen chuckled and went to kiss the top of her head just as Gwen looked up at him causing him to catch her lips instead. She kissed him lovingly and held his face in her hands. The kiss turned passionate and Gwen clung to him as if she never wanted to let go. Owen slowly started to push her down on the bed but a sharp pain in his chest caused him to groan and pull away.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Honey, it's fine. I don't want you doing things like this if it's going to hurt you." She told him.

"But...I want..." He pouted. His eyes suddenly darkened and his grip on her tightened. "Just because we can't do it like that, doesn't mean we can't do this."

Owen pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him. He put one hand on the small of her back and fisted the other into her hair as he crushed his lips onto hers. She laughed as she kissed him back and placed her hands on his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. Her tongue flicked out and ran over his lips and he immediately parted them for her. As their tongues danced, Gwen ran a finger down Owen's stomach to the zip on his jeans. Owen chuckled and Gwen pulled away.

"What?" She frowned.

"Nothing just...you...wanting to do this at work...just surprised me that's all." Owen smirked.

As he started to tug her shirt up and went to recapture her lips, Gwen's eyes widened as she seemed to remember where she was. She jumped off his lap and stood up, turning her back on him as she did.

"Oh God, I can't do this here." She told him.

"Well, let's go home then." He said and quickly moved to get off the bed.

Gwen turned and eyed his bandaged wound and sighed. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What are we doing?" She whispered.

"What? What do you mean?" He asked. "I don't get it."

Gwen looked up at him and it looked as if she was fighting back fresh tears.

"You almost died today." She told him. "You were almost killed for God's sake and we're just carrying on as if nothing happened. You wouldn't be standing here now if Martha hadn't been there."

"Well she was and I'm here. I'm fine." He replied as he moved to stand in front of her.

"I know but I can't help but think...what if she wasn't? I could have lost the most important person in my life and I don't know what I would do if I did. All I keep seeing in my head is you, lying there dead." She said, a few tears breaking free and rolling down her face.

Owen took hold of her arms and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Don't think about what could have happened. _This_ is what happened. I'm fine, I'm here with you and you are not going to lose me. I love you and our baby more than words can describe and I will always fight to stay with you both, no matter what it takes. Look, thinking about what might have happened is just going to upset you more. Just focus on here and now. I'm fine, you're fine and our daughter is fine." He said.

"But what if something like this happens again?" She demanded. "What if we're not so lucky next time? What if I lose you? Or our baby? You don't understand. This is our wake up call Owen."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I don't think I can do this any more." She answered. "I can't do this job and risk losing this baby or you." She turned her head to the floor and closed her eyes. "I'm leaving Torchwood...and...and maybe you should too."

"What? No, we can't leave. Do you think this job's just going to leave us alone if we leave? Do you think all the aliens and shit are just going to disappear? Do you think we'd ever be able to have a normal life after this?" Owen asked. "Gwen, this..." He gestured around him. "This madness is our life now. We can't escape that. Besides, we both love this job. Yeah, it can be shit and frustrating and scary as hell most of the time...but we both love it."

"I love you and our daughter more." Gwen said.

"Me too. You both mean the world to me." Owen nodded. "But just think about it, this job is never going to let go...and we're never going to be able to let it go. This job is part of our lives now, it's part of us."

"Fine." Gwen said and looked into his eyes, her face set in a determined expression. "I can't force you to leave but I am. I'm doing this for our daughter."

She pulled herself out of Owen's grasp and walked out of the room. Owen sighed as he watched her go before following her out.

Gwen walked out into the main area of the Hub and everyone looked up as she stood in the middle, staring at Jack. Martha started to walk towards her and spotted Owen emerging just behind Gwen.

"What the hell are you two doing? You should be resting?" Martha demanded.

"Jack, I'm leaving." Gwen said, ignoring Martha's comment. "I'm leaving Torchwood. What happened today just made me realise that this job is way too dangerous and there's no way I'm raising a baby with this job. Don't even bother trying to talk me out of it, Owen's already tried. I've made my mind up."

Jack looked between Owen and Gwen then shrugged.

"Ok." He said.

"What?" Owen and Gwen gasped together.

Gwen was slightly disappointed that Jack hadn't even argued with her. She wouldn't have changed her mind but she would have appreciated the attempt.

"Ok." Jack repeated.

"What? Jack, you can't just let her leave." Owen protested as he stepped past Gwen and closer to Jack. "We need Gwen. She's the heart of this team. She brought us back down to Earth and she taught us how to care again. She's the best Torchwood operative I've ever met. Since Gwen joined, she has made us so much better. If Gwen leaves, we'll lose all that."

Gwen smiled at her fiancé's back before composing herself.

"I agree with all that." Jack nodded and looked over Owen's shoulder at Gwen. "But this is your choice. You have to live with it."

"It is my choice and I've made up my mind." She told him. "I'm leaving."

"Ok but know this, there will always be a place for you here Gwen Cooper." Jack smiled.

"Thank you Jack." She replied and she couldn't fight the small smile that appeared on her lips.

"Can't say you didn't make the right choice." Jack said. "You're a lot smarter than me." The team frowned at Jack, waiting for him to explain but he took a deep breath and turned to Owen. "So, will you be leaving us too."

"I...I don't..." Owen stuttered as he looked between Jack and Gwen. "I...I can't..."

She walked over to Owen and held his face between her hands. She smiled gently as she looked into his eyes.

"Stay." She whispered.

"But if you go...I don't want to leave you at home with the baby worrying about me or whatever." He said. "But I can't..."

He glanced at Jack and sighed.

"Owen, I know how much you love this job and I know how special and wonderful it feels to save someone's life. You're a doctor, you save so many more lives and I can only imagine how much more amazing that feels. I know it means a lot to you." She told him.

"You and Lily mean more." He replied. Gwen giggled as he referred to their baby before turning serious. "What do I do Gwen?"

"You stay." She answered. "I want you to stay."

"Ok." He nodded. "Then I will."

"Besides, like you said, this place is part of us now. I may be leaving but I'll miss this place like hell and having you here means I can still come and visit without feeling guilty." She smiled.

Owen laughed and kissed her.

They'd said goodnight to the team and had arrived home. Gwen rolled her eyes as she entered the bedroom. All the way back home, Owen had tried to persuade her to change her mind even though he'd said he accepted her decision.

"Maybe you just need some time to think about it. I think you made a bit of a snap decision just because what happened scared you." He said as he followed her. "Just sleep on it tonight and decide tomorrow morning."

Her annoyance bubbled over and she turned to glare at him.

"Owen, I don't want to sleep on it." She snapped. "I've made up my mind and you need to accept that. Can we just drop it now, please? God you're so frustrating. First the engagement and now this. You're so -"

Gwen hissed as another sharp pain stabbed at her stomach. She doubled over and grabbed the side to keep herself up. Owen ran to her side and placed an arm around her to support her.

"Hey, come on, calm down. Remember, you're not supposed to get too stressed." He said as he helped her over to the bed and sat her down. He knelt in front of her and held her hands as she took deep breaths. Once she'd calmed down, he held her face in one of his hands and ran his thumb across her cheek. "Gwen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pester you or annoy you, I just wanted to make sure you were making the right decision. I want you to be happy. I'll let it go now and whatever choice you make, I'll be behind you one hundred percent."

"I know you will." She smiled. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, I shouldn't have. I...I don't know why I shouted at you, I just...I'm really sorry."

"Ah well, I blame it on the hormones." Owen smiled.

Gwen smiled and leant in to kiss him. When they broke away, she gave his hands a squeeze and ran her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I'm knackered." She sighed. "And you need to get some rest. I want you fit and healthy as quick as possible."

Owen smiled at her concern for him and stood up to get ready for bed.

As they were getting ready, something crossed Owen's mind as he watched Gwen throw her dirty clothes in the wash basket. He had to ask her about it or he knew it would eat away at him and he'd be forever wondering.

They slipped into bed and Gwen, being sure to avoid his wound, snuggled into him. He put his arm around her as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Gwen...I need to know...you said 'first the engagement and now this', did you...did you only agree to marry me because you wanted me to stop pestering you?" He asked.

"What?" She gasped as she pulled herself up onto her elbow.

"I admit, I was a bit pushy. I was always saying you would say yes and that you wanted it as much I do but...maybe I was just imagining it. I never wanted you to say yes because you felt pressured or just to shut me up. I want you to marry me because you actually _want_ to." He told her.

"Owen, I do want to marry you. I said yes because I love you and I want to be with you always. I want to stand in that room full of people and let them all know just how much I love you. I want to be Mrs Harper." She said.

"You really mean that?" He asked.

Gwen looked into his eyes and brushed her fingers over his face.

"I do." She smiled.

Owen smiled and pulled her into a kiss. When they broke away, she lay back down and snuggled into his side. He held her tight and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, my beautiful Gwen." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, my beautiful Lily." He ran his hand over her stomach and she giggled. "I love you both."

"Goodnight, my handsome Owen. We love you too." She grinned.

At nine months pregnant, Gwen was becoming more and more frustrated as Owen fussed over her. It was sweet to begin with but he wouldn't let her do anything for herself and it was starting to get annoying. She was starting to enjoy having the house to herself when he went to work as it meant she could do whatever she wanted and not have Owen telling her off or under her feet all the time.

From time to time she'd visit the team at the Hub and she had to admit that she was missing it. She missed all the action, the feel of the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She sometimes regretted her decision to leave but whenever she felt like this, she ran her hand over her bump and she knew it was worth it. She'd do anything to keep her daughter safe and if quitting Torchwood was what it took, then she'd do it gladly a thousand times over.

One day, she was sat at the Hub at her old computer while Owen, Tosh and Ianto went out weevil hunting. Jack was sat in his office finishing off important paperwork and they were both enjoying the quiet company.

After a few hours, Jack walked out of his office and pulled a chair over to sit beside Gwen. She smiled at him over her enormous stomach.

"Hey fatty." He grinned.

"Oi! Watch it you!" Gwen laughed. "I know I look huge, I don't need you reminding me."

"You look beautiful as always." Jack smiled. Gwen rolled her eyes but blushed shyly. "So how's it going? Owen driving you crazy yet?"

"Owen's always driving me crazy." Gwen replied. "I can't do anything for myself at home. As soon as I pick something up, Owen whisks it out of my hands and has to do it for me. Can't do much in my condition see. Seriously, doing my bloody head in." The two laughed and Gwen rubbed her stomach. "Other than that, things are great. This one arrives any day now and we're all excited."

"Yeah we all know how excited Owen is. All day he talks about his little Lily." Jack told her. Gwen giggled and rolled her eyes. She stopped suddenly and gasped. "Gwen? Everything alright?"

"Erm...yeah – yeah fine." She nodded.

Jack noticed the way she bit her lip and clutched at her stomach.

"The baby's coming isn't she." He stated rather than asked.

"No." She answered quickly.

She groaned and Jack stood up quickly.

"Yes she is. Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital." He said firmly.

"No." She protested as Jack slipped his arm around her waist and he pulled one of her arms around his shoulders. He started to pull her out of her chair but she shook her head. "No, she can't be coming yet, Owen's not back."

"Gwen, she's coming whether you like it or not." Jack said and led her out of the Hub. "Do you have the keys to Owen's car?" Gwen reluctantly pulled them out of her pocket and gave them to him. He helped her into the car and pulled his phone out as he jumped into the driver's seat. "Owen, get your ass down to the hospital. Lily's on her way. I'm taking Gwen now." Gwen looked at Jack as he listened to Owen's reply. He held the phone out to her after a few moments. "He wants to talk to you."

She took it from him and pressed the phone to her ear. Jack pulled off quickly and she had to grab the seat to stop herself from slamming into the door.

"Owen." She said into the phone.

"Hey babe, I promise I'll be there as soon as I can." Owen promised. "Is everything ok? The important thing is to remain calm and take deep breaths. Don't panic, everything's going to be fine."

"I'm not panicking, I'm fine." She sighed. "Look, just get to the hospital ok. If I'm going to be crushing anyone's hand during labour I want it to be the person who started it all."

"I think you'll find it was a whole case of beers that started it." Owen joked. "But I swear to you I'll be there. I'm not missing the birth of my daughter."

"You'd better not either." Gwen warned. She gritted her teeth and hissed as she felt another contraction. "I'll see you there, yeah? I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart." He replied.

Gwen smiled as she put the phone down and handed it back to Jack.

She lay in a hospital bed, dressed in her hospital gown and panting, sweat beading on her forehead. Jack paced nervously at the bottom of her bed as he waited for Owen to arrive. The nurse entered the room and went to check how far along Gwen was.

"Jack, this side. Now." Gwen demanded as he stopped to see what was happening.

He quickly ran to her side, not wanting to argue with the woman.

"Miss Cooper, you're fully dilated, we need to take you down to the delivery room." The nurse told her.

"No she can't come yet. My fiancé's not here." Gwen protested. "Look, if I just..." She did her best to cross her legs. "I'll just hold on until he gets here. He won't be long."

"I'm sorry but the baby's coming. We need to get you down now." She repeated.

Jack followed as Gwen was pushed down to delivery room.

"I am going to bloody kill Owen when I get my hands on him." Gwen growled.

The midwife looked at Jack as he entered the room with Gwen.

"Are you the father?" He asked.

"No he's not." Gwen answered. "But he's not leaving my side. He's staying until my fiancé gets here."

"Erm...Gwen...I really don't mind waiting outside." Jack said as he eyed all the medical equipment.

"Jack Harkness you get your arse over here. Now." Gwen shouted. Jack ran to her side quickly and shot the doctors an embarrassed smile as they smirked at him. Over an hour later, Gwen was squeezing Jack's hand tightly as she screamed. "Where the hell is Owen?"

"I don't know." Jack shouted in pain over her screams. "But I hope to God he gets here soon." The door suddenly burst open and Owen ran in. A doctor tried to stop him but Jack held his hand out. "It's ok, he's the father." He pulled his hand out of Gwen's and left the room quickly, pointing at Owen as he passed. "You are in so much trouble."

Owen gulped as he quickly went over to Gwen's side. He took her hand and she glared up at him. She grabbed the front of his shirt, almost strangling him and pulled him closer to her.

"Where the fuck have you been?" She shouted.

"I'm sorry Gwen. We had trouble with the..." Owen glanced around at the doctors. "Thing and then the stupid SUV decided to break down and I had to run all the way here. But I'm here now and I promised I wouldn't miss our daughter being born didn't I."

"Yes you did." Gwen nodded. "But you bloody well near missed it."

"Never." Owen said. "I'd never miss this moment for the world."

Gwen smiled as they gazed into each other's eyes. They were brought back to earth as Gwen felt another contraction and she cried out as she pushed.

Owen held her hand in both of his and he kissed her fingers as he encouraged her on. He kept hold of her hand and moved slightly so he could see what was happening. His breath caught as he watched his daughter being born into the world. He could feel tears of joy starting to build up in his eyes and he turned to smile at Gwen. She let out one last cry before falling back onto the bed in exhaustion. He moved back to her side and ran his hand over her sweat covered face, brushing away the hair that was stuck to her face.

"Is it over?" She giggled weakly.

"Yeah, it's over." He smiled and kissed her forehead. He looked up to watch a nurse wrap their little girl in a blanket. The tears started to fall freely as he gazed at the tiny bundle. "She's here." The nurse brought her over to them and placed her in Gwen's arms. "Our little Lily."

"She's tiny." Gwen smiled through her own tears. "And so beautiful."

"Gets that from her mum." Owen whispered.

He took hold of Lily's hand between his thumb and his finger and he chuckled at the size difference.

"Hold her." Gwen said and she smiled down at Lily. "You'd like to have a cuddle with daddy now wouldn't you. Besides that, I am knackered."

Gwen was taken back up to her private room and Owen sat beside her holding their newborn daughter. She watched them, her eyes slowly sliding shut until she was fast asleep. The door opened and three heads belonging to his team mates poked around the door.

"Can we come in?" Tosh asked.

Owen shushed them and pressed a finger to his lips then pointed to Gwen. He motioned for them to come in and they each tiptoed in to stand around Owen.

"Everyone, this is Lily." He whispered proudly.

"She's gorgeous." Tosh smiled.

"Congratulations." Ianto smiled as he placed a hand on Owen's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you got here in the end. Gwen's got quite the grip on her, could've crushed my fingers." Jack said.

"You would have healed." Owen shrugged. "But believe me, nothing was going to stop me from getting here to be there with her and to watch Lily being born." Lily stared up at him as he smiled down at her. "I love you so much. You know, looking at the baby scans and doing up the baby's room and buying all the little things, it felt sort of real and it was like 'yeah ok I'm going to be a dad'. But now...holding this tiny little baby in my arms...it's actually happening, this is real and the minute I saw Lily come into the world, it was like...'wow, I'm really a dad'. Nothing could ever top this feeling." He smiled at Gwen's sleeping form. "And I couldn't have picked a better, more amazing woman to do all this with."

The team smiled at each other before looking back at the scene in front of them. Even with Gwen asleep, the little family seemed to be in their own bubble of love. Their love was strong and as time went on it grew stronger still. It would take a lot to burst that bubble.

The team took turns holding Lily until Gwen's parents arrived and they stepped out of the room. Gwen's mother took Lily out of Owen's arms almost straight away. Owen just smiled as he held his sleeping fiancée's hand.

"Oh look at her." Mary cooed. "She's absolutely gorgeous." Lily started to cry as Mary leant in closer. All these different faces were starting to get a little too much. "Hey, don't cry. I'm your grandmother. It's ok, darling."

"I think all these strange faces are a bit overwhelming." Owen said. "Time to let her settle now."

"You already sound like a father." Mary smiled as she passed Lily back to Owen.

"I am a father." Owen laughed. He placed Lily in her little bed and gazed lovingly at his daughter. "I promise I'll be the best dad there is."

Lily's cries turned to whimpers and eventually she grew silent as her eyes slid shut. Owen leant in and kissed her tiny cheek before going over to sit beside Gwen.

"Was she in labour long?" Mary asked.

"Long enough." A voice mumbled. They all turned as Gwen's eyes fluttered open. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up sleepily. "It felt like someone was trying to tear me in half from the inside." Gwen looked over at her sleeping baby. "I thought I heard Lily crying. Is she ok? What's wrong? What happened?"

"She's fine, don't worry." Owen reassured her. "She's just had enough of being passed around today."

"You sure she's alright?" Gwen asked.

"She's absolutely fine I swear. Look, she's fast asleep." He answered.

Gwen looked over before sighing and nodding. She turned to smile at her parents and Mary grinned as she went over to hug her daughter.

"Congratulations sweetheart." Mary smiled. "I can't believe our baby's starting a family of her own."

"I know. Seems like only yesterday I was holding our little duckling in my arms." Geraint said and placed a hand on Owen's shoulder. "They grow up so fast."

Her parents stayed for a while longer and when they left, the couple were left in peace for a few moments. Owen pulled Lucy's bed closer and he sat beside Gwen on her bed. Both smiled down at their little girl.

"She looks like you when she's asleep." Gwen giggled. "She's got that same little frown. I just can't wait to take her home and get her settled. Owen...do you think we can do this?"

"Of course we can." He answered. "We're going to be the best parents ever. We love each other and we love Lily more than anything in this world. We're not doing this alone, we've got each other and I'm sure the rest of team will support us and your parents will. Yeah, at times it'll be hard with me being at Torchwood and things but I am only a phone call away. If you need me, you just pick up the phone and I'll be there, I swear. I promise to always spend as much time as I can at home with you and Lily. I'll always be here for the both of you. And you and me, we make a good team. We can do this, Gwen. I promise you."

"Yeah." Gwen nodded. "Yeah, we can do this. We can be parents."

The word just seemed so big and scary to her but she knew with Owen by her side, they could do this.

Owen captured her lips in a loving kiss and held her hands. His thumb traced over her engagement ring and he smiled at it before looking into her eyes.

"So am I going to be able to call you my wife soon?" He asked. "I was thinking about a summer wedding, you know, so it's all sunny and warm – well as sunny and warm as it can get in Wales. We could pick somewhere fancy with a big lawn so we could go outside if we wanted and we wouldn't have to worry about getting wet or being cold. What do you think?"

"A summer wedding?" She asked. Owen nodded and she glanced over at Lily and grinned. "Well, that's not too far away. I'd best get planning then."

She laughed as she looked back at Owen. He grinned back at her and crushed his lips onto hers. He ran his fingers through her hair as he poured his love into the kiss.

The door opened and the rest of the team peaked in around the door but neither noticed. Jack smiled at Tosh and Ianto before coughing quietly to get their attention. Gwen and Owen broke away and smiled over at them.

"Can we..?" Jack asked as he gestured into the room.

"Yeah, come in." Gwen nodded.

Owen grinned at Gwen then at the team as they entered the room.

"Guess what." Owen said. "We're getting married."

"Yeah...we know." Jack frowned in confusion.

"No, I mean actually getting married. We've finally decided on when. It's going to be a summer wedding." Owen explained.

"Have you set a date yet?" Tosh asked excitedly.

Gwen and Owen looked at each other and shrugged.

"July?" Gwen suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Owen smiled. "How about July eighteenth, it's a Saturday."

"You've been thinking about this for a while haven't you." She grinned.

"Well...for a little while." He nodded. "Haven't you?"

"Of course I have. I'm just surprised you've thought about it so much. I didn't think it mattered to you that much." She replied.

"Now where did you get that idea from? You know how determined I was to make you my fiancée and now I can't wait to make you my wife." He told her.

"I love you." Gwen laughed.

"I love you too." He smiled.

He caught her lips in a loving kiss and she sighed dreamily. Owen held her face in his hand and gently ran his thumb across her cheek as his tongue ran over her lips. Her lips parted as she granted him access and she moved to get closer to him.

"Hey! We don't want to see that." Jack called.

The couple laughed as they broke apart. Lily's cries suddenly filled the room and Gwen quickly scooped her into her arms.

"Hey, what's all that noise for?" She asked.

"I think it's feeding time." Owen told her.

"Now this I've got to see." Jack grinned.

"Out now." Owen ordered as he jumped quickly off the bed.

He marched the team back out of the room and closed the door behind them. When he turned and watched his fiancée and his daughter, he smiled and felt his heart swell with pride and love.


	9. Chapter 9

The night Gwen and Owen brought Lily home, they were lying in each other's arms as they drifted off when Lily's cries sounded from the monitor. Gwen sighed as she started to untangle herself from Owen but he pulled her back down.

"I'll go." He whispered.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah. Besides, you gave birth, you had the painful job. It seems only fair I suffer a little and do the night feeds for a while." He said.

"Well, if you insist, I'm not going to argue." Gwen shrugged.

Owen chuckled and placed a light kiss on her lips before leaving the room. Smiling to herself, Gwen settled herself back down and closed her eyes as she listened to Owen's soothing voice over the baby monitor.

A few months later, it was the night before Gwen and Owen's wedding and they were both out on their hen and stag parties. Gwen's mother had offered to look after Lily for the night, excusing herself from the hen party. Gwen suspected it was just so she could spend time with her granddaughter on her own and had agreed with a knowing smile.

It had been Tosh's idea that Gwen and Owen spend the week leading up to their wedding apart so that on the day, it would be more exciting and romantic. Everyone but the couple agreed and they'd been practically forced into it. They weren't allowed any contact whatsoever except for emergencies. Tosh had taken the liberty of monitoring their phone calls and texts from the Hub. Lily was staying with Gwen at home while Owen stayed at Ianto's and when he wanted to see his daughter, Tosh picked her up from Gwen and dropped her off with Owen then delivered her back home after. They missed each other a lot and couldn't wait to see each other again.

Even after a considerably large amount of alcohol, Gwen couldn't take her mind off Owen. As she downed the shot one of her friends had placed in front of her, her phone lit up on the table and vibrated. Gwen picked it up and squinted as she tried to focus on the writing on the screen. She frowned as she noticed it was a text from Ianto.

"_Make an excuse and  
meet me outside  
xxx"_

"Ianto?" Gwen murmured to herself. "Why would Ianto want to see me?" She looked up and leant across the table to Tosh, shouting over the music to make herself heard. "I'm just popping outside, I need a bit of fresh air."

"Are you alright? Do you want me to come with you?" Tosh asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Gwen replied. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Ok." Tosh nodded.

Gwen stood up and stumbled as she tried to get her balance. Wobbling out of the club, Gwen felt the cool air hit her face and she closed her eyes as she took in deep breaths. When she felt herself sobering slightly, she opened her eyes and looked around for Ianto.

"Ianto?" She called into the night. She was grabbed from the side and her back pushed up against the cold bricks. Lips crushed onto hers and her eyes widened as she pushed them away. "Owen?" She frowned. "You're not Ianto."

"No, I'm not." Owen whispered as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I used Ianto's phone when he wasn't looking. I know we only had to wait a couple more hours but I had to see you now. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." She told him. "I hate this not being able to talk or see each other thing."

"I know, it's driving me crazy." Owen sighed.

Gwen wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. After a few minutes, she pulled away and sighed.

"Ok, we should probably go back now. They'll send out search parties if we're gone too long and we'll be told off for breaking all the rules." She joked.

"I don't care." He replied. His grip on her tightened and he started to pull her away. She noticed he too, was unsteady on his feet. "Come on, my car's just down the road. Let's break some more rules."

"You're driving? Owen, you're drunk." Gwen said.

"No, I drove us to the pub then walked over to meet you. It's alright, Ianto's our designated driver and he's on coke all night." Owen reassured her. They reached his car and Owen turned to brush his lips against hers. "I really have missed you so much. Not being able to hold you, or to kiss you...or to touch you..." Owen's hands ghosted over her curves to her hips. "For a whole week...it's been driving me crazy."

"Owen..." Gwen breathed as he pulled her tight against him so her body shaped into his. His hands squeezed her arse as his teeth grazed the skin of her neck. "Owen, we've only got a few more hours to wait until the wedding. Maybe...maybe we should wait."

His hands gripped her tighter and he pressed her against his car. He lifted her slightly so her hips were at the same level as his. He rolled his hips against hers and used one hand to press hers closer while he continued to lay a trail of fiery kisses along her neck and jaw line. Gwen moaned and let her eyes slide shut as she felt the pressure starting to build up in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or Owen's kisses and caresses that made her head spin.

Suddenly, all contact was gone and she shivered as the cold night air hit her. She opened her eyes to see that Owen had taken a few steps back and was holding his hands in the air.

"Fine. If you really want to wait." He said. "That's if you _can_ wait."

Gwen looked at him, her breathing heavy and her eyes dark with desire. She suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Her tongue forced it's way past his lips and tangled with his causing him to growl hungrily. He fumbled with the car door behind her and gently pushed her inside.

She looked up at him straddling her waist as she lay across the back seat, her chest rising and falling quickly. She felt so much love for him and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him and their little girl.

Running her left hand up his arm to cup his cheek, she glanced at her engagement ring before locking her eyes with his.

"I love you Owen Harper." She whispered.

"Gwen Cooper..." He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and brushed his fingers over her cheek. "I love you too."

He moved to lie on top of her and captured her lips in a loving kiss. The kiss began to deepen and after a few moments they broke apart before teeth clashed as they kissed hungrily. Gwen giggled as Owen started to pull her shirt over her head.

A while later, Owen pulled himself reluctantly away from Gwen. He sat back in the seat, his head leant back and his eyes closed as he caught his breath. She sat up and curled into his side, smiling in satisfaction.

"Ok, that's the first time I've really enjoyed breaking the rules so much." She sighed dreamily. Owen chuckled and she looked up into his eyes as he turned his head to face her. She kissed him before pulling away and her smile dropped. "We should probably go back now."

"Yeah." Owen sighed. He took a few moments to gaze into his fiancée's eyes. "I can't believe I'm marrying the most beautiful, amazing, wonderful woman in just a few hours. With you as my wife and a beautiful little girl called Lily as our daughter, I'm the luckiest man in the world."

He kissed her again before they pulled on their clothes and left the car. Owen wrapped his arm around her waist as he walked her back to her hen party. Both had sobered up enough to walk in a straight line but both were planning on drinking plenty more alcohol. Now they'd seen each other, they were more willing to join in the party.

"So has Lily missed me?" Owen asked.

"Well, you know she mostly sleeps, eats and cries at the minute but I reckon she does miss her daddy." Gwen smiled.

"I know Tosh brought her over to see me but it just wasn't the same as seeing her all the time. I've missed my little Lily so much and you of course. Can't wait until we all go home together again." He told her.

"Me neither." She replied. "These night time feeds are killing me. Once you come home, I can stay in bed while you see to Lily."

She grinned as Owen gasped in fake shock.

They were both laughing as the club came into view but their laughter died as they looked to see Tosh stood with her arms folded, glaring at them. She shook her head at them and took a step forward.

"You just couldn't wait a few more hours." She said.

"Sorry Tosh, it's my fault. I just couldn't wait any longer to see her, I was about to burst." Owen explained. "And nothing happened, I swear. We just went for a little walk together, that's all. Isn't that right Gwen?"

Tosh raised her eyebrow as Gwen nodded innocently then burst out laughing. Owen nudged her before joining in. Tosh cleared her throat and Gwen stopped quickly.

"He's right. Nothing happened." She told her then turned to Owen. "Well, I guess I'll see you at the end of the aisle. I'll be the one in white."

She let out a big breath and giggled nervously.

"Nervous?" Owen laughed.

"It's just...finally happening. You know, we're actually getting married. Tomorrow. It's all been happening so fast and...it's a little intimidating but exciting at the same time." She replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Same. I'm shitting myself." He answered honestly and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "But I can't wait to say those vows and to spend the rest of my life with you." She smiled back at him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered as she brought her lips to his.

Owen held her tight to his chest as he kissed her back, hoping she could feel just how much he loved her.

"Alright, that's enough." Tosh shouted. "Save something for the wedding."

The couple broke apart and sighed.

"Bye." Gwen said.

"Bye. Give Lily a big kiss from me in the morning." He said.

Gwen nodded and watched as he left for his own party. She turned and started to walk back into the pub, patting Tosh's arm as she walked past.

"Come on, I plan on getting absolutely hammered." Gwen told her.

The next morning, Gwen groaned and clutched her head as she slowly woke up. She knew she'd had a bit to drink but she didn't remember having that much. In fact, she couldn't remember much of the night before at all. She opened her eyes and immediately closed them again as the room spun around her. Rolling over onto her stomach, she buried her head under a pillow and decided she was going to stay in bed all day.

The door suddenly burst open and she groaned again as her mother's cheerful voice filled the room, sounding a hundred times louder to Gwen.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead. Don't want to be late on your big day." Her mother said.

Gwen sat up quickly and spotted her wedding dress hanging on the wardrobe door.

"I'm getting married today." She gasped and clutched her head. "Oh God, I'm getting married and I feel like shit."

"I'm not surprised, rolling in at two o'clock this morning drunk out of your skull. It took three of your friends to drag you up the stairs to bed." Mary told her disapprovingly. She grabbed Gwen's hand and pulled her out of bed, ignoring Gwen's protesting grunts and moans. "Now go on, go get yourself showered then into the kitchen for hair and make up. Oh and I'll be looking after Lily again this morning I take it, seeing as you obviously can't even stand up without help."

"Lily, where is she? I want to see her." Gwen mumbled.

"Not until you get yourself cleaned up. Don't worry, she's downstairs with your father and that nice Japanese girl." Mary told her.

"She is my daughter mum." Gwen argued but disappeared into the bathroom.

Once she'd showered, she quickly made her way to the kitchen. Tosh had Lily in her arms and she smiled up at Gwen.

"Here's mummy." Tosh said to Lily.

Gwen took Lily into her arms and held her tight.

"Hey there sweetheart. How's mummy's little angel?" Gwen smiled. Lily just looked up at her, her face expressionless and Gwen sighed. "You look so much like your father. He misses you so much." Gwen looked around at Tosh and her parents. "Maybe we should take Lily with us on the honeymoon. Owen's not seen her properly for a week and now he's going away for another week, it's going to kill him."

"He'll be fine. You two deserve to go somewhere nice and have some time alone and to relax. You're not going too far anyway, so if you really can't wait that long, I'll bring Lily to you." Tosh replied.

"I'd rather Lily came with us." Gwen said. "Like a family holiday."

"It's supposed to be your honeymoon not a holiday." Mary laughed. "It's the special period of time newly weds spend together alone, you don't take children."

"Lily's only three months old though, it's...different." She replied. "And Owen really does miss her so much."

"Listen to me Gwen Elizabeth Cooper." Her mother snapped. "You and Owen are going on this honeymoon alone and you will enjoy yourselves. Do you hear me?" Gwen's eyes were wide like a child being scolded and she nodded. "You'll leave Lily with your father and I and you can call once a day to see how she is. When it's time for you to come back, Toshiko can pick you up with Lily and you can all go home together."

Gwen looked at her father, hoping to use her big green eyes to get him to take her side and argue with her mother. He glanced between Gwen and Mary and caught his wife's glare. Geraint smiled nervously at Gwen and shrugged. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry duckling." He mumbled.

"Alright, fine but we get to phone twice a day. I'm not settling for any less." Gwen said.

"Fine." Mary nodded. "Now sit down so Sarah can do your hair and make-up."

For most of the morning, Gwen never put Lily down. It was only the tasks such as getting into her wedding dress that required her to let go. She had to admit, Lily was her taking her mind off the nerves that were slowly setting in. She couldn't explain why she was nervous, she wanted to marry Owen more than anything, but she was nervous none the less.

At last, it was time for her to walk down the aisle and say her vows. She took deep breaths as she stood outside the double doors, one arm looped through her father's and her other hand gripping her bouquet tightly. She wished she could hold Lily again but her mother had taken her to sit down in the main room on the other side of the doors...where Owen was also waiting.

"Are you ready duckling?" Geraint asked. Gwen took one last deep breath and nodded. "You look beautiful."

Gwen smiled at him as the doors opened. Her eyes travelled slowly up the aisle to the feet at the end then moved up. Owen was smiling at her and it took her breath away. All her fears vanished as she smiled and her feet started to carry her towards him. Her father had to walk quickly to keep pace with her. She didn't even notice him kiss her cheek once they'd reach the end, she just let go of him quickly and grasped Owen's hand in hers.

"I love you." She whispered.

"Love you too sweetie." He replied.

By the end of the ceremony, Mary was crying tears of joy and the married couple were tearing up too. Owen held his wife in a tight embrace as they kissed then buried his face in her shoulder. He could feel Gwen's arms clinging tightly around his neck.

As everyone was heading out to the reception, Gwen headed over to her mother who smiled as she passed Lucy to her.

"Congratulations darling." Mary smiled. "And even though I don't approve how all of this started..." Gwen shifted awkwardly under her mother's gaze and fixed her eyes on the floor. "I'd say it all turned out right in the end. I'm so proud of you, Gwen. Owen...he's a good man really."

"He is." Gwen nodded and turned to smile at Owen who was laughing and joking with Jack and Ianto.

"And it's obvious he worships the two of you. I'm sorry your father and I weren't more supportive when you told us you and Owen were in love and were going to start a relationship." Mary said.

"It's ok mum." Gwen smiled.

Owen joined them and wrapped his arm around her waist as he smiled down at Lily in her arms.

"I'll leave you three alone." Mary smiled and went to join her husband.

Once Mary was gone, Gwen turned to face Owen and they smiled as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"How is my beautiful, blushing bride?" Owen asked.

"Just perfect." She answered. "And how is my gorgeous groom?"

"On top of the world." He replied. Gwen giggled as they kissed and blushed when they pulled away. He looked down at Lily and took one of her tiny hands in his. "And how is my darling daughter?"

"She's been an angel this morning, she only cried once when she needed changing." She told him and kissed Lily's cheek "You've been a little star, haven't you? How about a little cuddle with daddy? He hasn't seen you for ages."

She gently placed Lily in Owen's arms and ran her finger over her cheek. Lily's big, round eyes peered up at Owen curiously and he chuckled.

"Hi there sweetheart." He smiled. "I've missed you so much and now I'm not going to see you for another week because your mother's dragging me off on a honeymoon. We all know what that means."

He winked and Gwen hit his arm.

"Owen." She warned. "Anyway, I'm not dragging you anywhere, it was you who insisted we had a honeymoon. I did try and get it so Lily came with us but my mum and Tosh refused. Tosh said if we really wanted to, we could have Tosh drive her down to us. Plus we get to call my mum twice a day to see how she is."

"Well I guess it's better than nothing." Owen sighed. "I love my little angel so much and I love my wife very much too."

"I love my beautiful daughter and my husband more than anything in this world." She replied.

As the evening drew to a close, the newly weds left for their honeymoon, Lily left in the care of Gwen's parents.

It was just over a year later that Gwen was starting to reconsider one of the biggest decisions of her life. She was sat in the Hub with Lily on her lap. She'd taken Lily shopping for new clothes as she was growing out of her old ones fast and after she decided to take Lily to visit her dad at work. The team had had to run out as they received reports of a Hoix running around Cardiff, leaving Gwen sitting alone at her old workstation with Lily on her lap.

Gwen smiled as she picked up her comms which still lay where she'd put them after she'd quit.

"Oh Lily..." Gwen sighed. The little girl looked up at her mother as she chewed her fist. "Seeing all this stuff...it brings back a lot of memories." She put down the ear piece and picked up her PDA. "Some of the things your father and I saw...they were so beautiful. Other times it was terrifying." Gwen closed her eyes and her blood started to pump with adrenaline as different memories played through her mind. As her eyes slowly opened again, she looked around the Hub and longed to feel the blood rushing through her veins, her heart racing as she fired shots at the alien she was chasing. She longed to be out there with the team amongst all the action. Looking back down at Lily, she sighed again. She'd let go of all that because she had something more important in her life. A daughter who depended on her and who needed to be taken care of. Gwen had left Torchwood to keep Lily out of danger and to give her the best possible life. She hugged Lily tight to her chest and rested her chin on her head, her eyes closing. "Lily...when you're older...would you resent me if I decided to -"

The Hub door rolled open and she quickly cut herself off. Owen ran in cheering and laughing as the team followed in behind him. He ran over to Gwen and scooped Lily out of her arms to spin her around in the air. Lily squealed and laughed, her arms and legs waving in the air.

"Oh you should have seen me." Owen grinned as he moved Lily to his hip. "That bastard Hoix thought he was getting away but I pounced right on his back. He tried to throw me off but I was just too strong. I twisted his arm right behind his back and snapped those cuffs on him. These lot were no help at all."

He gestured to the others behind him and they raised their eyebrows.

"Yeah great." Gwen nodded, not paying attention to him. "Hey, I'm going to take Lily home and give her a bath before bed. I'll see you later."

She stood up and took Lily from Owen. Lily screamed and tried to hold onto her dad.

"No!" She screamed. "Daddy!"

"You'll see him later." Gwen told her then turned to Owen. "You will be back before she goes to bed won't you?"

"Yeah, of course." He nodded, confused at Gwen's behaviour. "I won't be long now, about an hour to an hour and a half maybe."

"Alright." She gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later. Love you. Lily say goodbye to your dad."

"No!" Lily shouted.

"Gwen, is there something wrong?" Owen asked.

"No, there's nothing wrong." Gwen answered over Lily's cries. "Listen, I'd better get Lily home, she's exhausted."

Owen kissed both girls on the cheek then watched them leave out of the rolling door. Lily tried to launch herself over Gwen's shoulder to get back to Owen as she screamed, her arms outstretched towards him. The team could hear her cries echo as the door rolled shut behind them.

"Ok, that was weird." Owen said.

"Maybe she's just tired. Gwen, I mean." Tosh suggested.

"It's possible." Owen nodded. "Lily was up earlier than usual this morning. We think she's getting a few more teeth coming through."

"She's certainly growing up fast." Tosh smiled. "She's starting to talk, I've noticed."

"Yeah, she can say 'mummy', 'daddy' and 'no'. 'No' seems to be her favourite word at the moment." He sighed.

An hour later, Gwen had managed to calm Lily's cries and had given her a bubble bath with her little family of ducks to keep her occupied. Once dried, Gwen dressed her in her baby grow ready for bed.

As she was walking through the living room to fetch a story book, Lily on her hip, she heard a familiar engine pull up outside. She went over to the window and saw Owen climbing out of his car. Gwen turned to smile at Lily.

"Who's that?" Gwen asked her. "Who is it Lily?"

Lily looked at the door as it opened and Owen stepped through.

"Daddy!" Lily squealed, almost jumping out of Gwen's arms.

Gwen laughed as she put Lily down on her little feet and watched her walk over to Owen. Owen smiled as his little girl walked clumsily, as fast as she could, towards him, her curls bouncing, arms outstretched and a big smile on her face. He scooped her into his arms and hugged her tight to his chest.

"Hey sweetie." He smiled. He kissed her curls as she snuggled into his chest then held out his arm for Gwen. She walked over and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a hug. Resting her head on his shoulder, she placed a hand on Lily's back and closed her eyes. "And how are you my dear? You seem a little happier than you were earlier."

"Yeah...I've just...had a lot to think about." She answered.

She had indeed been thinking a lot since she'd returned home with Lily. It was another huge decision she was going to have to make and she had to consider all the consequences of either answer she chose. She hadn't known her answer until the minute Owen walked through the door and looked into her eyes.

"Mummy." Lucy mumbled.

Gwen snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at her daughter. She was rubbing her eyes with one hand and holding her other chubby little arm out to her.

"I think someone wants to go to bed." Gwen said gently and took Lily into her arms.

Lily put her head on Gwen's shoulder and was asleep in minutes. Owen smiled as he followed Gwen into Lily's room and watched her place Lily in her cot. They each gave her a kiss on the cheek and silently left the room.

They were curled up together on the sofa with mugs of tea watching the television when Owen turned to Gwen.

"So what was it you've been thinking about?" He asked.

Gwen put down her mug and turned her whole body to face Owen. She looked into his eyes and smiled as she took hold of his hands.

"Well...lately, when I go to the Hub and I see all that stuff again and everyone working on their little projects or telling stories of their latest encounter, I just...I start to miss it. All these memories come flooding back to me and...I remember what it all felt like. What it felt like to chase after weevils, to save peoples lives, to know at the end of the day the world is a little safer because of something you've done. I...miss that feeling and...I want to feel it again." She explained. "All day I've been looking at Lily and thinking about how this would affect her. Would it be safer, would it be more dangerous for her? I just want what's best for our daughter."

"I know you do. We both do." He nodded.

"And what you and the team are doing now, you're fighting alien threats and getting rid of them which means protecting the Earth and it's future...Lily's future. I want to be part of that. I want to be doing my bit to make the world a safer place for Lily to grow up in and for everyone else too." She told him. "Owen...I want to come back to Torchwood."

"You...want to come back?" He asked hopefully.

"I do yes." She smiled. Owen's face broke into a grin and he hugged her tight to his chest. She giggled as he kissed the top of her head over and over again. He started to tickle her and she shrieked, falling backwards onto the sofa and pulling him with her. She kissed him hard and sighed lovingly. When they pulled away, she looked into his eyes and whispered. "Let's have an early night."

Owen caught her lips in a sweet kiss and gently pulled her off the sofa into his arms. Without breaking the kiss, he carried her into the bedroom and gently lowered her onto the bed.

The next morning, Gwen enlisted the help of a friend to look after Lily while the couple went to the Hub. Gwen held Owen's hand tightly in hers and smiled fondly at him, her mind still warm and fuzzy from the night before.

Jack and the others were already there when they entered.

"Good morning Mr and Mrs Harper." Jack smiled. "And where's my favourite niece? How dare you not bring her to see her favourite uncle Jack."

"Lily's at a friends." Gwen laughed.

"Yeah and Gwen's not visiting." Owen said, smiling secretively at Gwen. "She's got something she wants to say."

Jack raised an eyebrow questioningly as Tosh and Ianto stood either side of him and waited.

"Yeah, well..." She started, suddenly nervous. "I was wondering – if you'll have me that is...well...I was wondering if there was still a place for me here? And...would it be ok if I took it back?"

There was a moment of shocked silence before Jack grinned. He walked forwards and pulled Gwen into a hug.

"I told you there would always be a place for you here and you are more than welcome to come back." He told her. "Oh we have missed your stubborn ass around here."

Gwen giggled and Owen quickly pulled her out of Jack's arms, wrapping his arm around her possessively.

"Watch it, my wife, my stubborn ass." He warned.

Jack rolled his eyes as he turned to walk back to his original position. Tosh and Ianto each welcomed Gwen back with a hug and smile. Once they were done, they stood back on either side of Jack and Gwen and Owen smiled at each other.

"Gwen Cooper, welcome back." Jack said. "Owen can start helping you sharpen up on anything you may have forgotten or things that have gotten a little rusty."

"Rusty?" Gwen laughed. "I can assure you my skills have not gotten rusty and nothing needs sharpening up. I want to get out on my first mission."

Tosh's computer sprang to life with a series of beeps and she quickly checked it.

"Seems like we have another rogue Hoix on the loose." Toshiko announced. "Two hundred meters north of Evelyn Street."

"Let's hope he doesn't bump into Bernie Harris, he'd have a field day." Jack said jokingly to Owen.

Owen chuckled but Gwen clapped her hands together and looked seriously at them all.

"Right." She said. "Tosh, keep tracking the Hoix and let us know if it leaves the area. Ianto, you're driving. Owen, you grab the restraints and the sedative. Harkness, get your arse in the SUV."

Everybody looked in wide eyed suspense between Jack and Gwen as the Captain folded his arms.

"Here all of five minutes and you're already trying to take charge again." Jack said then smiled. "It is good to have you back." He looked around at everyone. "Ok everybody, what she said."

They all quickly went about doing the jobs allocated to them and as Jack ran past Gwen through the rolling door, he patted her on the arm and smiled. Gwen grinned as the familiar rush of adrenaline started to pump through her as she ran after him. She couldn't wait to go home that night and tell Lily all the stories of alien worlds and everything she'd encountered.

Climbing into the back of the SUV, Gwen was surprised how normal and right it felt. Even though she had a beautiful daughter to look after and loved very much, there had always been a part of her missing and it was Torchwood. Owen had been right, it never left you alone. Once you'd become part of the team, Torchwood became part of you and you couldn't live without it whether it was the beautiful, fascinating parts or the dangerous, terrifying parts.

She smiled at Owen as he climbed in on one side of her then turned to smile at Tosh as she sat on the other side.

"It's great to have you back." Tosh told her.

"Thanks. It's good to be back." Gwen smiled.


End file.
